Study of nuclear energy systems and double strata scenarios for minor actinides transmutation in ADS

The French law of 28th June 2006 regarding advanced nuclear waste management requires a scientific assessment to define future industrial strategies. The present PhD thesis was carried in this framework and concerns specifically the research axis of minoractinides transmutation. A high power Accelerator Driven System (ADS) concept is developed at SUBATECH for this purpose. A 1 GeV proton beam feeds three liquid lead-bismuth spallation targets. The MUltiple Spallation Target (MUST) ADS reaches the thermal powers up to 1 GW with a high specific power. A nuclear reactor dimensioning method has been developed and applied to different double strata scenarios. In these scenarios, SFR (Sodium FastReactors) or PWR (Pressurized Water Reactors) power reactors produce minor actinides that will be transmuted into ADS. In each core (SFR and ADS), the plutonium multi-reprocessing strategy is performed while ADS subcritical core also multi-reprocesses minor actinides. To limit the core reactivity and improve the fuel thermal conductivity, the minor actinides fuel is mixed with MgO inert matrix. Nuclear branches with lead and sodium coolants for the ADS, have been studied for different irradiation times and two transmutation strategies have been assessed : whether whole minor actinides, whether americium only is tranmuted. The thesis presents precisely the MUST ADS design methodology and the calculations to get a fuel composition at equilibrium. Then a one cycle evolution is performed and analysed for the fuel and the multiplication factor. Radiotoxicity and thermal power of the waste produced are then compared. Finally, the study of double strata scenarios is performed to analyse the plutonium and minor actinides inventories in cycle and also the waste produced according to the transmutation strategies applied and the first stratum evolution.

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Source https://theses.hal.science/tel-00789327
Author Clavel, Jean-Baptiste
Maintainer CCSD
Last Updated May 14, 2026, 10:42 (UTC)
Created May 14, 2026, 10:42 (UTC)
Identifier NNT: 2012EMNA0050
Language fr
Rights https://about.hal.science/hal-authorisation-v1/
contributor Laboratoire de physique subatomique et des technologies associées (SUBATECH) ; Mines Nantes (Mines Nantes)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
creator Clavel, Jean-Baptiste
date 2012-11-30T00:00:00
harvest_object_id 35b361c9-d55f-4336-aa58-7c0a82e190ac
harvest_source_id 3374d638-d20b-4672-ba96-a23232d55657
harvest_source_title test moissonnage SELUNE
metadata_modified 2026-04-22T00:00:00
set_spec type:THESE