China's new nuclear reactor could transform waste into clean energy
What's the story
China is gearing up to launch a revolutionary nuclear reactor that will be powered by superconducting particle accelerators. The project, dubbed the China Initiative Accelerator Driven System, is being developed by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and state-owned nuclear companies. Once operational, it will be the world's first megawatt-level prototype of an accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS).
Dual function
The China Initiative Accelerator Driven System
The China Initiative Accelerator Driven System is an advanced nuclear reactor that can generate energy and transmute long-lived radioactive waste into shorter-lived, less hazardous isotopes. He Yuan, the Deputy Director of CAS's Institute of Modern Physics, called this system an "internationally recognized ideal approach for nuclear fuel breeding and nuclear waste treatment." The reactor could potentially make nuclear power a "green, safe, stable energy source for 1,000 years," according to Science and Technology Daily.
Design
How the CIADS works
The China Initiative Accelerator Driven System features a subcritical core, which is a key design element that allows it to be powered by external superconducting particle accelerators. This feature also means the reactor relies on external particle accelerators rather than a self-sustaining chain reaction like conventional nuclear reactors. However, such projects remain experimental and there are no commercial accelerator-driven subcritical systems.
Waste management
Addressing nuclear waste disposal challenge
The China Initiative Accelerator Driven System could be a game-changer in solving the problem of long-lived nuclear waste disposal. While most used fuel from conventional reactors decays relatively quickly, a significant amount of used nuclear fuel consists of long-lived actinides that can remain hazardous for tens of thousands/hundreds of thousands of years. The CIADS's ability to transmute these isotopes into less harmful ones could make a huge difference in managing this issue.