99Tc transmutation by spallation neutrons produced in a large lead block

In the search of hybrid system (the coupling of the particle accelerator to an under-critical reactor) for radioactive waste transmutation the TARC (Transmutation by Adiabatic Resonance Crossing) program has been developed. One of the target of the TARC program is the study of the efficiency of a 'Energy Amplifier' system for nuclear waste incineration. Among the radioactive wastes the most interesting is the fission product 99Tc from nuclear plants heaving a half-live of ∼ 105 years. Using a fast rabbit technique and gamma ray spectroscopy, the transmutation rate of 99Tc by spallation neutrons inside a large lead block was measured. The data from each 9 s rabbit cycle were stocked by means of an acquisition system based on the CERN CASCADE code especially adapted for gamma spectroscopy and able to catch large amounts of coincidence events. The measurements technique is described and the preliminary results are given. Also, in progress are simulations using new technique for production and propagation of neutrons in lead. Due to the plenty of spallation neutrons the capability of burning certain nuclear wastes is already proved