Thermal hydraulic studies of spallation target for one-way coupled indian accelerator driven systems with low energy proton beam

BARC has recently proposed a one-way coupled ADS reactor. This reactor requires typically ∼1 GeV proton beam with 2 mA of current. Approximately 8 kW of heat is deposited in the window of the target. Circulating liquid metal target (lead/lead-bismuth-eutectic) has to extract this heat and this is a critical R&D problem to be solved. At present there are very few accelerators, which can give few mA and high-energy proton beam. However, accelerators with low energy and hundreds of micro-ampere current are commercially available. In view of this, it is proposed in this paper to simulate beam window heating of ∼8 kW in the target with low-energy proton beam. Detailed thermal analysis in the spallation and window region has been carried out to study the capability of heat extraction by circulating LBE for a typical target loop with a proton beam of 30 MeV energy and current of 0.267 mA. The heat deposition study is carried out using FLUKA code and flow analysis by CFD code. The detailed analysis of this work is presented in this paper.      

CiADS中LBE散裂靶的放射性核素研究

铅铋合金(LBE)作为中国加速器驱动系统(CiADS)散裂靶的候选材料,长期辐照使其具有很强的放射性。散裂靶放射性核素的研究仅考虑了质子束的散裂反应,而忽略了反应堆裂变中子的活化作用。本文采用FLUKA和MCNP耦合计算LBE和及其结构件的放射性产物。比较了裂变中子和高能质子在放射性产物的活度、主要放射性核素、毒性和衰变光子等方面的贡献。裂变中子的活化作用对主壳、导管和射束管有显著影响。当反应堆趋于临界状态时,裂变中子对LBE的活化作用是高于质子束流的。在LBE中,96.66%的 210Po是由裂变中子诱导的。这些结果表明,裂变中子在LBE及其结构部件的活化计算中是必不可少的。此外,本研究为CiADS的辐射防护提供了参考数据,也为ADS系统中散裂靶的放射性核素研究提供了更准确的方法。     

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of LBE spallation target for accelerator-driven systems

In an accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS), a high-performance spallation neutron source is used to feed the subcritical reactor. Neutron generation depends on the proton beam intensity. If the beam intensity is increased by a given factor, the number of generated neutrons will increase. The mechanism yielding a high rate of neutron production per energy is the spallation process, and this mechanism produces a very high-energy deposition in the spallation target material. Producing a high rate of neutrons is accompanied by creation of problems of decay heat cooling and radiological protection. As a first step in designing a full-scale industrial ADS, a small-scale experimental ADS, which is similar to the European experimental ADS (XADS) is analysed. The analysis presented in this paper is based on lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) cooled XADS-type experimental reactors, designed during the European experimental (PDS-XADS) project. Computational fluid dynamics analysis has been carried out for the spallation target. Steady state behaviour and shear stress transport turbulence model with the automatic wall treatment were applied in the present analysis.     

The physics of accelerator driven sub-critical reactors

In recent years, there has been an increasing worldwide interest in accelerator driven systems (ADS) due to their perceived superior safety characteristics and their potential for burning actinides and long-lived fission products. Indian interest in ADS has an additional dimension, which is related to our planned large-scale thorium utilization for future nuclear energy generation. The physics of ADS is quite different from that of critical reactors. As such, physics studies on ADS reactors are necessary for gaining an understanding of these systems. Development of theoretical tools and experimental facilities for studying the physics of ADS reactors constitute important aspect of the ADS development program at BARC. This includes computer codes for burnup studies based on transport theory and Monte Carlo methods, codes for studying the kinetics of ADS and sub-critical facilities driven by 14 MeV neutron generators for ADS experiments and development of sub-criticality measurement methods. The paper discusses the physics issues specific to ADS reactors and presents the status of the reactor physics program and some of the ADS concepts under study.      

Neutron cross-sections above 20 MeV for design and modeling of accelerator driven systems

One of the outstanding new developments in the field of partitioning and transmutation (P&T) concerns accelerator-driven systems (ADS) which consist of a combination of a high-power, high-energy accelerator, a spallation target for neutron production and a sub-critical reactor core. The development of the commercial critical reactors of today motivated a large effort on nuclear data up to about 20 MeV, and presently several million data points can be found in various data libraries. At higher energies, data are scarce or even non-existent. With the development of nuclear techniques based on neutrons at higher energies, nowadays there is a need also for higher-energy nuclear data. To provide alternative to this lack of data, a wide program on neutron-induced data related to ADS for P&T is running at the 20–180 MeV neutron beam facility at ‘The Svedberg Laboratory’ (TSL), Uppsala. The programme encompasses studies of elastic scattering, inelastic neutron production, i.e., (n, xn′) reactions, light-ion production, fission and production of heavy residues. Recent results are presented and future program of development is outlined.      

Ep≤63 GeV 质子入射铅、铋引起的中子产生双微分截面的模拟(英文)

加速器驱动次临界系统(ADS) 液态Pb-Bi 散裂靶的设计中,需要可靠的理论计算工具精确地预言几个GeV 能量范围的质子引起的散裂反应产生的各种粒子和核素。利用蒙特卡罗模拟软件包Geant4 计算研究了800 MeV至3 GeV 质子入射铅、铋材料引起的中子产生双微分截面。比较了Geant4 不同物理模型得到的模拟结果与现有的实验数据。其中,Geant4 的QGSP BERT和QGSP INCL ABLA 物理模型模拟结果很好地再现了实验数据。本工作证实了Geant4 蒙特卡罗模拟软件包适合用于能量高达3 GeV 的质子入射铅、铋引起的中子产生双微分截面的模拟计算。A detailed design of the liquid Pb-Bi spallation target of the Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) requires powerful and reliable computational tools that can accurately predict particles and nuclides production by the proton induced spallation reactions in the energy range of a few GeV. In this paper, the neutron production double-differential cross sections for Pb and Bi target materials at incident proton kinetic energies between 800 MeV and 3 GeV are studied by calculations with Monte Carlo simulation package Geant4. The simulated results of Geant4 with several physics models are compared with available experimental data. The simulated results generated by QGSP BERT and QGSP INCL ABLA physics models of Geant4 well reproduce the available experimental data. The present results validated that Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation package is suitable for simulations of neutron production double-differential cross sections of proton induced reaction on Pb and Bi targets in the incident energy range up to 3 GeV.     

Monitoring method for neutron flux for a spallation target in an accelerator driven sub-critical system

In this paper, we study a monitoring method for neutron flux for the spallation target used in an accelerator driven sub-critical(ADS) system, where a spallation target located vertically at the centre of a sub-critical core is bombarded vertically by high-energy protons from an accelerator. First, by considering the characteristics in the spatial variation of neutron flux from the spallation target, we propose a multi-point measurement technique,i.e. the spallation neutron flux should be measured at multiple vertical locations. To explain why the flux should be measured at multiple locations, we have studied neutron production from a tungsten target bombarded by a 250 Me V-proton beam with Geant 4-based Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results indicate that the neutron flux at the central location is up to three orders of magnitude higher than the flux at lower locations. Secondly, we have developed an effective technique in order to measure the spallation neutron flux with a fission chamber(FC), by establishing the relation between the fission rate measured by FC and the spallation neutron flux. Since this relation is linear for a FC, a constant calibration factor is used to derive the neutron flux from the measured fission rate. This calibration factor can be extracted from the energy spectra of spallation neutrons. Finally, we have evaluated the proposed calibration method for a FC in the environment of an ADS system. The results indicate that the proposed method functions very well.     

与散裂中子靶物理相关的理论计算程序探讨 II厚靶计算

散裂中子靶是加速器驱动洁净核能系统的一个重要环节.相关的理论计算程序和蒙特 卡罗方法是研究该系统的散裂靶物理的一个重要手段.对相关程序进行了比对和介绍,并对SHIELD程序系统在中国的发展和在散裂靶物理上的应用作了介绍.     

A numerical study of the target system of an ADSS with different flow guides

The mechanical design of the target module of an accelerator driven subcritical nuclear reactor system (ADSS) calls for an analysis of the related thermal-hydraulic issues because of large amount of heat deposition in the spallation region during the course of nuclear interactions with the molten lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) target. The LBE also should carry the entire heat generated as a consequence of the spallation reaction. The problem of heat removal by the LBE is a challenging thermal-hydraulic issue. For this, one has to examine the flows of low Prandtl number fluids (LBE) in a complex ADSS geometry. In this study, the equations governing the laminar flow and thermal energy are solved numerically using the streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) finite element (FE) method. The target systems with a straight and a nozzle guide have been considered. The principal purpose of the analysis is to trace the flow and temperature distribution and thereby to check the suitability of the flow guide in avoiding the recirculation or stagnation zones in the flow space that may lead to hot spots.      

ADS中子源散裂靶物理研究

运用蒙卡程序DCM CEM对ADS标准散裂中子靶进行了计算研究.计算了在0.1~1.6GeV的质子轰击下,标准Pb靶发生散裂反应产生的泄漏中子产额及分布、中子能谱以及靶内能量沉积分布.计算结果与文献理论数据、实验数据进行了比较.     

加速器驱动次临界系统散裂靶参数优化计算

采用国际开源程序包Geant4,构建高能质子束轰击加速器驱动次临界系统(ADS)散裂靶的物理模型,模拟计算质子轰击液态金属铅、铅-铋合金和汞靶的泄漏中子谱分布,以及计算不同能量质子对应的铅靶泄漏中子产额和轴向积分分布,获得1 Ge V质子对应的铅圆柱靶优化参数,考虑入射质子的利用率和整个堆芯的体积质量,优化靶半径范围为16～24 cm,靶高为100 cm,相关研究结果可为(ADS)散裂靶的物理和工程设计提供理论依据。     

Ultrasonic cavitation erosion of 316L steel weld joint in liquid Pb-Bi eutectic alloy at 550 °C

Liquid lead-bismuth eutectic alloy (LBE) is applied in the Accelerator Driven transmutation System (ADS) as the high-power spallation neutron targets and coolant. A 19.2 kHz ultrasonic device was deployed in liquid LBE at 550 °C to induce short and long period cavitation erosion damage on the surface of weld joint, SEM and Atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to map out the surface properties, and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) was applied to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of elements in the micro region of the surface. The erosion mechanism for how the cavitation erosion evolved by studying the element changes, their morphology evolution, the surface hardness and the roughness evolution, was proposed. The results showed that the pits, caters and cracks appeared gradually on the erode surface after a period of cavitation. The surface roughness increased along with exposure time. Work hardening by the bubbles impact in the incubation stage strengthened the cavitation resistance efficiently. The dissolution and oxidation corrosion and cavitation erosion that simultaneously happened in liquid LBE accelerated corrosion-erosion process, and these two processes combined to cause more serious damage on the material surface. Contrast to the performance of weld metal, base metal exhibited a much better cavitation resistance.     

静态腐蚀条件下铁素体/马氏体钢和奥氏体不锈钢与液态铅铋合金相容性研究进展

液态铅铋合金（LBE）是铅冷快中子反应堆（LFR）和加速器驱动次临界系统(ADS)的主要冷却剂材料。反应堆用结构材料（如铁素体/马氏体钢、奥氏体不锈钢等）在液态LBE环境下存在液态金属腐蚀（LMC）和应力腐蚀的问题,这些问题给钢结构材料的安全服役带来隐患。阐述了钢材铅铋腐蚀类型及机理,归纳了材料设计与处理(元素成分、热处理、加工制造和表面处理)和腐蚀条件（氧质量分数、腐蚀温度和腐蚀时间）对钢材铅铋腐蚀行为的影响机制;澄清了LBE环境下的应力腐蚀与金属脆化机制,总结了内外因素（材料种类、表面缺陷、热处理、氧质量分数、腐蚀温度和拉伸速率）对钢材拉伸性能的影响,并展望了未来铅铋反应堆结构材料的研究方向。建议面向未来的铅铋堆用钢应优化材料设计和处理方式（提高Si、Al等元素的含量、表面镀膜和热处理）同时控制LBE中环境参数（温度、氧质量分数和腐蚀时间）以提高钢材的耐铅铋腐蚀性能。     

Application of Origen2.1 in the decay photon spectrum calculation of spallation products

Origen2.1 is a widely used computer code for calculating the burnup, decay, and processing of radioactive materials. However, the nuclide library of Origen2.1 is used for existing reactors like pressurized water reactors. To calculate the photon spectrum released by the decay of spallation products, we have made specific libraries for the ADS tungsten spallation target, based on the results given by the FLUKA Monte Carlo code. All the data used to make the Origen2.1 libraries are obtained from Nuclear structure & decay Data (NuDat2.6). The accumulated activity of spallation products and the contribution of nuclides to photon emission are given in this paper.     

Research into accelerator driven systems using particle track detectors

In the interaction of relativistic protons with heavy and extended targets such as lead, large number of neutrons is produced in the course of the so-called spallation process. These neutrons can be used to drive a sub-critical nuclear assembly for energy generation and/or for the transmutation of the long-lived nuclear waste isotopes to environmentally safer nuclear species. Such nuclear assemblies are referred to as accelerator driven systems (ADS).

Knowledge of the neutron yield in the spallation process and an understanding of the behaviour of these neutrons in the desired sub-critical assembly are the most important and determining factors in the design and operation of these systems. Many parameters related to the neutronics of an ADS can be studied qualitatively as well as quantitatively using solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD). In some circumstances SSNTDs provide the best and the most logical detector option for these investigations.

In this paper applications of the SSNTDs into research related to ADS are discussed and some experimental and theoretical results presented.     

MPI在蒙特卡罗程序GMT中的应用和发展

针对ADS颗粒靶概念的研究和设计,中国科学院近代物理研究所自主研发了蒙特卡罗模拟软件GMT。为了提高GMT程序的计算效率,研究了MPI在GMT中的应用和发展,实现了大规模随机数在进程中的随机分配,并采用快速读写文件的方式替代了MPI相关数据通信函数,极大地提高了计算效率。并研究了不同规模计算实例进程数、加速比、效率之间的关系,确定了最大加速进程数及并行效率最高时的进程数,为科研工作者在计算资源和计算效率之间选择最优计算方案提供了科学依据。MPI在GMT中的成功应用使计算资源得到了充分、高效的利用,极大地提高了计算效率,解决了蒙特卡罗方法中大规模事件模拟计算时间长、计算不稳定等问题,在散裂靶大规模扫描计算中发挥了重要的作用。For the research and design of the ADS granular-flow target concept, the Institute of Modern Physics, CAS has developed a Monte Carlo simulation software (GPU-accelerated Monte Carlo Transport program, GMT). In order to improve the computational efficiency of the GMT program, development and application of MPI in GMT were studied, to realize random distribution of the large-scale random number in the sub processes. Rapid reading and writing files were employed instead of the MPI data communication function, which greatly improves the computational efficiency. Different scale calculations were performed to study the relationship of process instance number, speedup to find the maximum acceleration process number and the number of processes when parallel efficiency is highest, which provides a scientific basis for researchers to optimize the computational program between computational resources and computation efficiency. The successful application of MPI in GMT, utilizes the computing resources fully and efficiently, improves the computational efficiency, solve the long time cost and unstable problem of Monte Carlo method in large-scale event simulations, plays an important role in the large-scale scanning calculation of the spallation target.     

ADS无窗散裂靶件水模拟实验研究

散裂靶件作为加速器和次临界堆芯的耦合部件,是ADS系统相关研究最主要的组成部分之一。无窗靶巧妙地利用了液体的自由液面特性,避免了质子束对结构材料直接轰击,是一种很有前景的散裂靶靶件形式。采用水作为实验工质搭建了一套无窗散裂靶水模拟实验台架,该实验系统覆盖了无窗散裂靶水模拟实验所需的流量及压力条件,采用粒子图像测速仪(PIV) 对自由界面的流场进行可视化观察与分析,得到了自由界面的基本表征参数之间关系和可视化界面的流场信息。结果表明,无窗靶自由液面的位置和形状受到回路整体流量、压力和靶件几何尺寸的影响。As the coupling component between accelerator and subcritical core, the spallation target is of crucial importance to the operation safety of the whole system. Hence, the spallation target is one of the most important parts in ADS corresponding researches. Due to lifetime limitation of material, the windowless target which has a stable free surface attracts more and more attention. The present paper deals with the experimental investigation on the free surface behavior in an approximately 1:1 size windowless target model using water as test fluid. We can get the flow and pressure conditions of windowless spallation target water simulation experiment from the platform. The free surface and eld visualization were obtained by particle imaging velocimetry. The  results show that the position and  flow pattern of the free surface depend on experimental pressure, flow velocity and geometry of the target.     

Broad energy spectrum of laser-accelerated protons for spallation-related physics

A beam of MeV protons, accelerated by ultraintense laser-pulse interactions with a thin target foil, is used to investigate nuclear reactions of interest for spallation physics. The laser-generated proton beam is shown (protons were measured) to have a broad energy distribution, which closely resembles the expected energy spectrum of evaporative protons (below 50 MeV) produced in GeV-proton-induced spallation reactions. The protons are used to quantify the distribution of residual radioisotopes produced in a representative spallation target (Pb), and the results are compared with calculated predictions based on spectra modeled with nuclear Monte Carlo codes. Laser-plasma particle accelerators are shown to provide data relevant to the design and development of accelerator driven systems.     

基于极化氦三靶的原子核散射实验

利用极化的氦三气体靶可以显著地拓展传统的核物理实验研究,观察初态自旋自由度对核反应过程动力学的影响。本文通过列举极化三体核力实验以及极化的重离子电荷交换反应实验,介绍了极化氦三靶在核物理实验研究中的独特优势。在质子散射实验中,通过测量不同极化方向下的多种末态产物角分布,可以进一步检验手征有效场理论对于三体核力的描述;而在与重离子的电荷交换反应中,通过控制靶极化方向可以分离π介子交换与ρ介子交换对于核子自旋同位旋激发的贡献,从而为研究核子在不同核环境中的动力学演化提供独一无二的契机。结合我国新一代大科学装置的建设背景,尤其是以加速器驱动嬗变系统（ADS）和强流重离子加速器装置（HIAF）和中国散裂中子源（CNS）为代表的先进实验平台为原子核物理实验研究提供了理想的机遇。新的实验技术手段将明显拓展在这些大型核科学装置上开展实验研究的深度与广度。极化氦三靶做为其中具有独特优势的研究手段,必将具有广阔的应用前景。     

Fluorescence quenching using plasmonic gold nanoparticles

This communication describes the study of fluorescence quenching in a new fluorescent laser dye ADS680HO is attached to gold nanoparticles of size 4-12 nm. Photo physical properties confirms that it is due to size, shape, coupling between nanoparticles with laser dye ADS680HO, and energy transfer between dye and nanoparticles. Fluorescence quenching leads to advancement in biomolecular labeling and fluorescence patterning.