Abstract
Three basic variants of bireactor electronuclear systems are discussed. It is shown that the most effective, from the standpoint of the best output characteristics and safe operating regimes, are bireactor systems with a booster operating on enriched uranium and a liquid-cadmium rectifier. Monte Carlo simulation is used to show that during operation of the setup conditions can be created under which the destruction of an intermediate layer makes such systems supercritical (k eff > 1). This can be avoided using a special construction of the rectifier with liquid cadmium. Cascade nuclear systems possess substantial advantages over other nuclear setups (critical reactors, single-reactor electronuclear systems), making it possible to decrease the proton current by approximately a factor of 10 and ensure in the process the required power level and neutron flux, and the presence of a fast and thermal cores makes it possible to burn efficiently not only transuranium elements but also to transmute fission products – cesium, iodine, technetium, which have a high capacity for penetrating into the biosphere.
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Bznuni, S.A., Zhamkochyan, V.M., Khudaverdyan, A.G. et al. Cascade Electronuclear Systems with a Liquid-Cadmium Rectifier. Atomic Energy 94, 173–178 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024202302999
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024202302999