A concept of accelerator driven blanket for high burnup of long living radio wastes

A concept of pool-type accelerator-driven blanket is analyzed. Liquid blanket consists of lattice of solid irradiation elements containing radionuclides to be transmuted. The options of blanket for Np and Am burn-up, for Cm incineration and for I-129 transmutation are considered Radionuclides to be transmuted are dispersed in matrix of inert material (for example, yttrium, aluminium, zirconium or stainless steel) in the irradiation elements. The high burning of radionuclides per cycle of irradiation results in an essential decrease of chemical reprocessing and re-fabrication operations and radiotoxicity of minor actinides as well. It is evaluated that the burn-up of Np, Am and Cm is exceeded 50 % inventory per cycle of irradiation. Because of high level of decay heat generation Cm is proposed to burn in diluted (∼ 1%) composition of irradiation elements. The transmutation of I-129 in the accelerator-driven blanket non-containing fissile and fissionable nuclides allows practically to avoid the overheating of iodine compounds and consequently to avoid the risk of its release into an environment. (authors)