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mechanism only calls for the "switching off" of the neutron source, which wouldn't help if more neutrons are constantly produced than consumed (i.e. Criticality), as there is no provision to rapidly increase neutron consumption e.g. via the introduction of a
450:
might come into play if particle accelerators (which are currently only rarely built to the above mentioned strengths and then only for research purposes) become a more "mundane" technology. A similar effect can be observed when comparing the cost of the
119:) to produce a beam of high-energy (relativistic) protons. The beam is directed to collide with nuclei of a heavy metal target, such as lead, thorium or uranium. Inelastic collisions between the proton beam and the target results in
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The design could work on a relatively small scale, and has the potential to load-follow by modulating the proton beam, making it more suitable for countries without a well-developed
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will be the strongest neutron source in the world (measured by peak neutron flux) but will only be capable of very short (on the order of milliseconds) pulses.
95:
as a coolant. Rubbia's scheme also borrows from ideas developed by a group led by nuclear physicist
Charles Bowman of the Los Alamos National Laboratory
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This design is entirely plausible with currently available technology, but requires more study before it can be declared both practical and economical.
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Subcritical design means that the reaction could not run away — if anything went wrong, the reaction would stop and the reactor would cool down. A
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No new science is required; the technologies to build the energy amplifier have all been demonstrated. Building an energy amplifier requires only
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45:
355:, which hampers the use of plutonium-containing fuels in critical reactors (which need to operate in the narrow band of neutron flux between
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could be employed deliberately (rather than as an unavoidable consequence of nuclear fission and neutron irradiation) either to transmute
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is a critical design, many of the concepts can be applied to a sub-critical system. Thorium nuclei absorb neutrons, thus breeding fissile
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The possibility exists of using the reactor to consume plutonium, reducing the world stockpile of the very-long-lived element.
123:, which produces twenty to thirty neutrons per event. It might be possible to increase the neutron flux through the use of a
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794:– An in-depth review of the Energy Amplifier co-authored by Rubbia (pdf download available from the CERN document server)
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Many of the current spallation-based neutron sources used for research are "pulsed" i.e. they deliver very high
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for very short durations of time. For a power reactor a smaller but more constant neutron flux is desired. The
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The fuel material needs to be chosen carefully to avoid unwanted nuclear reactions. This implies a full-scale
227:. There is enough thorium to generate energy for at least several thousand years at current consumption rates.
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and leave an energy profit for power generation. The concept has more recently been referred to as an
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If, for whatever reason, neutron flux exceeds design specifications enough for the assembly to reach
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Power generation might be economical compared to current nuclear reactor designs if the total
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lab. He published a proposal for a power reactor (nicknamed "Rubbiatron") based on a proton
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is produced — the waste material would decay after 500 years to the radioactive level of
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Using lead as a coolant has similar disadvantages to those described in the article on
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165:) is being studied as one of methodology of accelerator-driven system (ADS) in Japan.
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is used to stimulate a reaction, which in turn releases enough energy to power the
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422:, which are very expensive, no proton accelerator of sufficient power and energy
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isotopes of actinoids can be "burned" in a subcritical reactor, thus closing the
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material surrounding the spallation source; the use of neutron amplification in
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736:"Ch 24 Page 166: Sustainable Energy - without the hot air | David MacKay"
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153:
OMEGA project (option making of extra gain from actinides and fission products
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799:
Emerging
Nuclear Technologies: The Example of Carlo Rubbia's Energy Amplifier
418:) to generate the high energy proton beam, which is very costly. Apart from
231:
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76:
64:
620:
641:
801:, International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation
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Conceptual design of a fast neutron operated high power energy amplifier
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363:), is of no concern as no criticality of any kind is achieved or needed
318:) into less harmful substances, for producing radionuclides for use in
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221:
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The concept has several potential advantages over conventional nuclear
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cost included research equipment not needed for a commercial reactor.
792:
A PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE ENERGY AMPLIFIER
238:-resistant than conventional nuclear power (although the question of
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and safe fuel transport could make the technology more suitable for
705:[Performance of Ｈigh Power CW Electron Linear Accelerator]
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proton beam to produce its neutrons, with upgrades envisioned to
186:, was covered in "The Second Nuclear Era" (1985) pages 62–64, by
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Earlier, the general concept of the energy amplifier, namely an
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68:
753:
http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/e04/PAPERS/TUPLT170.PDF
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80:
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or power excursion can occur. Unlike a "normal" reactor, the
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could however occur if the ability to cool the core was lost.
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The energy amplifier first uses a particle accelerator (e.g.
177:
Megawatts and
Megatons: A Turning Point in the Nuclear Age?
382:
concentration of fissile isotopes is not achieved due to
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impurities exceeding acceptable levels, all fissile and
642:"Spallation Target | Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)"
175:
describe the energy amplifier in detail in their book "
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to the costs of subsequent research or power reactors.
143:, an isotope of uranium which is not found in nature.
665:
http://www.tfd.chalmers.se/~valeri/Mars/Mo-o-f10.pdf
589:"Rubbia Floats a Plan for Accelerator Power Plants"
813:New Age Nuclear: article on energy amplifiers |
374:can not be further recycled for use in current
230:The energy amplifier would produce very little
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59:The concept is credited to Italian scientist
779:et al., CERN/AT/95-44, pages 42 ff., section
8:
466:plant associated with the energy amplifier.
216:is an abundant element — much more so than
677:"Neutron amplification in CANDU reactors"
267:effort, not fundamental research (unlike
147:produce U-233 fission, releasing energy.
556:
514:Accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor
234:, so the design is believed to be more
184:accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor
46:accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor
299:as well as in densely populated areas.
79:accelerator with a beam energy of 800
430:has ever been built. Currently, the
414:Each reactor needs its own facility (
246:material must be assessed carefully).
7:
135:reactors has been proposed. While
14:
564:Rubbiatron, il reattore da Nobel
67:and former director of Europe's
1:
613:10.1126/science.262.5138.1368
420:linear particle accelerators
587:Aldhous, Peter (Nov 1993).
535:Thorium-based nuclear power
370:runs into the problem that
326:from low-priced feedstocks.
312:long-lived fission products
179:" (2001) on pages 153-163.
51:None have ever been built.
862:
715:Japan Atomic Energy Agency
501:European Spallation Source
455:up to the construction of
491:lead cooled fast reactors
432:Spallation Neutron Source
157:
99:Principle and feasibility
63:, a Nobel Prize particle
42:accelerator-driven system
781:Practical considerations
701:
573:, 11 giugno 1998. Also:
32:, in which an energetic
682:. CANDU. Archived from
380:reactor-grade plutonium
329:The lower fraction of
545:Nuclear transmutation
403:fast breeder reactors
401:without the need for
304:nuclear transmutation
282:costs are considered.
740:www.inference.org.uk
475:criticality accident
464:nuclear reprocessing
416:particle accelerator
376:light-water reactors
368:nuclear reprocessing
297:developing countries
87:, and a target with
38:particle accelerator
836:Accelerator physics
797:Christoph Pistner,
605:1993Sci...262.1368A
30:subcritical reactor
24:is a novel type of
831:Nuclear technology
758:2006-05-18 at the
568:CERN docs server:
566:, Massimo Cappon,
524:Thorium fuel cycle
519:Alternative energy
448:Economies of scale
399:nuclear fuel cycle
333:in the fission of
145:Moderated neutrons
453:Manhattan Project
254:radioactive waste
188:Alvin M. Weinberg
127:, a thin film of
125:neutron amplifier
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841:Nuclear reactors
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702:大電流電子線加速器の性能確認試験
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252:Less long-lived
200:fission reactors
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760:Wayback Machine
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717:. December 2000
709:(in Japanese).
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316:minor actinides
293:Inherent safety
280:decommissioning
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173:Georges Charpak
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73:nuclear physics
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18:nuclear physics
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711:Ōarai, Ibaraki
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689:on 2007-09-29.
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719:. Retrieved
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684:the original
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649:. Retrieved
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624:. Retrieved
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540:Muon capture
424:(> ~12 MW
344:compared to
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190:and others.
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91:as fuel and
61:Carlo Rubbia
58:
50:
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21:
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471:criticality
434:utilizes a
271:proposals).
265:engineering
141:uranium-233
109:synchrotron
28:reactor, a
825:Categories
721:2013-01-21
651:2016-08-16
551:References
287:power grid
276:fuel cycle
225:separation
194:Advantages
121:spallation
310:(such as
232:plutonium
113:cyclotron
77:cyclotron
65:physicist
44:(ADS) or
756:Archived
621:17736803
575:File pdf
570:Panorama
508:See also
372:MOX-fuel
302:Desired
242:-233 as
208:meltdown
626:6 March
601:Bibcode
593:Science
436:1.44 MW
395:fertile
378:as the
289:system.
240:uranium
222:isotope
218:uranium
214:Thorium
129:fissile
89:thorium
55:History
646:Psi.ch
619:
428:1 GeV)
366:While
707:(PDF)
687:(PDF)
680:(PDF)
479:scram
440:5 MW.
159:オメガ計画
137:CANDU
133:CANDU
105:linac
83:to 1
20:, an
846:CERN
628:2022
617:PMID
473:, a
442:Its
359:and
278:and
260:ash.
258:coal
171:and
117:FFAG
115:or
93:lead
69:CERN
609:doi
597:262
426:at
314:or
85:GeV
81:MeV
16:In
827::
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713::
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391:Pu
342:Pu
202::
111:,
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353:U
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155:(
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