Transmutation of transuranic actinides in a spherical torus tokamak fusion reactor

In this paper, a concept for a fusion-driven waste transmutation reactor (FDTR) based on a spherical torus (ST) is put forward. A set of plasma parameters suitable for the transmutation blanket was chosen. The two-dimensional neutron transport code TWODANT, the three-dimensional Monte Carlo code MCNP/4B, the one-dimensional neutron transport and burn-up calculation code BISON3.0 and their associated data libraries were used to calculate the transmutation rate, the energy multiplication factor and the tritium-breeding ratio of the transmutation blanket. The calculation results for the system parameters and the actinide series isotopes for different operation times are presented. The engineering feasibility of the centre-post of FDTR has been investigated and the results provided. A preliminary neutronics calculation based on an ST transmutation blanket shows that the proposed system has a high transmutation capability for minor actinide wastes. (author)