Prediction of spallation induced transmutation rates for long-lived fission products via proton accelerator
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Long-lived fission products represent a major challenge in nuclear waste management due to persistent radiotoxicity over very long timescales. This study focuses on six of these fission products: Se-79, Zr-93, Tc-99, Sn-126, I-127, Cs-135. This study investigates the feasibility of spallation-driven transmutation, in which a high energy proton beam strikes a heavy spallation target to generate neutrons that induce transmutation in the fission products surrounding the target. Lead and depleted uranium are identified as the principal spallation target candidates, reflecting contrasting trade offs in neutron yield, secondary reactions, and heat generation. Simulations assess nuclide specific behavior under reactor scale inventories and practical geometric constraints. Results demonstrate that technetium, iodine, and selenium are strong candidates for transmutation using this pathway, while tin shows partial resistance but benefits from thermal flux. By contrast, zirconium is inefficient to transmute, and cesium suffers from low net reduction due to competition with lighter isotopes. Cost effectiveness is highly isotope-dependent: technetium is most favorable, whereas cesium and zirconium remain expensive. These findings highlight the advantages and limitations of spallation driven systems and motivate strategies with optimized target-blanket designs.
Source: Scientific Reports
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Awards: G1660598378, NEW COMPETITIVE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY UNDER DE-FOA-00002459 (OPEN 2021) AND CONTROL NUMBER 2459-2951.
PROJECT TITLE: NON-NEUTRON TRANSMUTATION OF USED NUCLEAR FUEL
THIS PROPOSAL IS FOR A TRANSFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FOR LONG-LIVED FISSION PRODUCT (LLFP) TRANSMUTATION USING INCIDENT NON-NEUTRON PARTICLES SUCH AS ENERGETIC PHOTONS AND PROTONS. THE PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY COULD SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE DISPOSAL IMPACTS OF THE RECOVERED WASTES FROM USED NUCLEAR FUELS BY ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR A GEOLOGIC-TIME-SCALE REPOSITORY IN WHICH
NUCLEAR WASTES HAVE TO BE INTERRED FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND TO MILLION YEARS.
OpenAlex ID: W4414977096