PROMPT NUCLEAR ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR MATERIAL RESEARCH IN ACCELERATOR DRIVEN TRANSMUTATION TECHNOLOGIES - PROSPECTS AND QUANTITATIVE-ANALYSES

Accelerator driven transmutation technology (ADTT) is a promissing way toward liquidation of spent nuclear fuel, nuclear wastes and weapon g rade Pu. The ADTT facility comprises a high current (proton) accelerat or supplying a subcritical reactor assembly with spallation neutrons. The reactor part is supposed to be cooled by molten fluorides or metal s which serve, at the same time, as a carrier of nuclear fuel. Assumed high working temperature (400-600 degrees C) and high radiation load in the subcritical reactor and spallation neutron source put forward t he problem of optimal choice of ADTT construction materials, especiall y from the point of their radiation and corrosion resistance when in c ontact with liquid working media. The use of prompt nuclear analytical techniques in ADTT related material research is considered and exampl es of preliminary analytical results obtained using neutron depth prof iling method are shown for illustration. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V .