Conceptual design of advanced nuclear system for waste transmutation and sustainable energy applications

In this paper the progress in the conceptual design of a gas cooled pebble bed transmuter system was evaluated. This device allows highly efficient energy applications in cogeneration mode, both, for electricity power production and high temperature heat for hydrogen production. A particular feature of the system is subcritical operation mode, driven by a neutron source activated by an accelerator. This produces a significant advantage from the point of view of safety and operational flexibility in the operation of nuclear non-standard fuel types, allowing the possibility of reducing the amount of nuclear waste and also using them for high efficiency energy production. The possibilities of the system to transmute nuclear reactors spent fuel wastes into light water were evaluated. (author)