DM1 DESIGN: Development of a Detailed Design of XT-ADS and of a Conceptual Design of EFIT with Heavy Liquid Metal Cooling

International audienceThe domain DM1_DESIGN of the FP6 integrated project EUROTRANS has the mission to launch the conceptual design of a lead-alloy-cooled European Facility for Industrial Transmutation (EFIT) loaded with transmutation-dedicated minor actinide fuel to “prove” transmutation at the industrial level. EFIT would represent a modular unit of a large power system able to handle European high-level waste. In parallel to the EFIT design, DM1_DESIGN partners are developing a detailed design of the short-term XT-ADS (eXperimental demonstration of Transmutation in an Accelerator Driven System) that would serve the full-scale demonstration of the ADS concept and be able to accept up to a full MA fuel assembly. XT-ADS is also intended to serve as a test banc for some components of EFIT. The Work Plan of the domain DM1_DESIGN addresses the following main issues of EFIT and XT-ADS: Definition of the design parameters for the optimisation of the transmutation objectives in an economical way for EFIT and the short-term realisation for XT-ADS including the most essential features of EFIT. Development and assessment of the reference Pb design of EFIT and the back-up option based on gas. In parallel and in a synergetic way XT-ADS with only Pb-Bi reference design is developed in a more detailed manner. Further development of the high-power proton accelerator (HPPA) needed for both EFIT and XT-ADS and, in particular, qualification of the beam reliability, the development of the beam transport line and the demonstration of the prototypical components of the chosen HPPA. Proof of feasibility windowless spallation targets making maximum use of the existing work for defining the needed complementary experimental work for XT-ADS spallation targets. Evaluation of the safety performance and licensability of the three designs developed in the DOMAIN DM1. Cost estimates and planning issues for the deployment of the transmutation facilities. In this paper we give the progress accomplished in these different work packages and present the first results obtained after 18 months of activity