Synthesis of neutron-rich transuranic nuclei in fissile spallation targets

Abstract

A possibility of synthesizing neutron-reach super-heavy elements in spallation targets of Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) is considered. A dedicated software called Nuclide Composition Dynamics (NuCoD) was developed to model the evolution of isotope composition in the targets during a long-time irradiation by intense proton and deuteron beams. Simulation results show that transuranic elements up to Bk-249 can be produced in multiple neutron capture reactions in macroscopic quantities. However, the neutron flux achievable in a spallation target is still insufficient to overcome the so-called fermium gap. Further optimization of the target design, in particular, by including moderating material and covering it by a reflector will turn ADS into an alternative source of transuranic elements in addition to nuclear fission reactors.