238Pu production: a State-of-the-Art review of NpO2 target fabrication technologies and processing of irradiated targets

IF 1.4 3区 化学 Q4 CHEMISTRY, INORGANIC & NUCLEAR
Beatriz Acevedo, Karen Van Hecke, Thomas Cardinaels, Marc Verwerft
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Abstract

Abstract Space mission beyond the solar system cannot rely on photovoltaic (PV) cells as primary power source, and combinations of PV cells and batteries. For such purpose, Radioisotope Power Systems powered with 238 Pu have served well for all flagship space exploration missions since the early Apollo missions until today’s Mars Exploration Program and continue to be the preferred primary energy source for future missions. 238 Pu production proceeds via neutron irradiation of 237 Np, which is created as a by-product in nuclear fission reactors. Neutron irradiation of 237 Np to produce 238 Pu is conceptually very simple, but the production of sizeable quantities of 238 Pu with acceptable isotopic purity, and the further separation and processing stages pose formidable technological challenges. 238 Pu is a highly radiotoxic alpha emitter with an elevated specific activity and high decay energy with high risk for the workers, and its precursor, 237 Np, is a radiotoxic alpha emitter whose daughter 233 Pa decays to 233 U with a strong gamma emission. Furthermore, the very rich and weakly explored chemistry of Np is also a challenge. The historical 238 Pu inventory of US-DOE has been highly consumed and supplies of available 238 Pu to support new missions have diminished. NASA and US-DOE have started an extensive project to re-establish 238 Pu production for US space missions. In Europe, ESA has also shown some interest in an European production of 238 Pu for the European space missions. In the present review, the manufacture of Np targets for 238 Pu production by irradiation, and the target processing are discussed and assessed from an European production perspective by comparing mainly US state-of-the-art with the European know-how and the current facilities. Two principal options for target fabrication stand out: aluminium-clad NpO 2 –Al CERMET and zircaloy-clad full-ceramic NpO 2 targets. The principal advantages of the well documented CERMET route can be found in the irradiation stage. These targets allow a high flexibility in heavy metal loading fraction and have high thermal performance. But, they have significant drawbacks in terms of the amount and type of nuclear waste that is generated at the back-end. Instead, the full-ceramic targets are conceptually very similar to conventional nuclear fuels, and would be preferred from back-end perspective, although a demonstration of large scale production remains yet to be done. Presently, there are no operational large scale Np target production, irradiation, processing or 238 Pu handling facilities in Europe, but the nuclear infrastructure exists and is operational to study each of the steps at least at small scale and all steps have similarities with well-established industrial capabilities in Europe.
238Pu生产:NpO2靶材制造技术和辐照靶材加工的最新进展
太阳系以外的空间任务不能依赖光伏电池作为主要电源,也不能依赖光伏电池与电池的组合。为此,从早期的阿波罗任务到今天的火星探测计划,以238 Pu为动力的放射性同位素动力系统在所有旗舰空间探索任务中都表现良好,并继续成为未来任务的首选主要能源。钚的生产是通过中子辐照237 Np进行的,而237 Np是核裂变反应堆的副产品。237 Np的中子辐照生产238 Pu在概念上是非常简单的,但生产具有可接受同位素纯度的大量238 Pu,以及进一步的分离和处理阶段构成了巨大的技术挑战。238 Pu是一种具有高放射性毒性的α辐射源,具有较高的比活度和高衰变能量,对工人具有高风险,其前体237 Np是一种具有放射性毒性的α辐射源,其子体233pa衰变为233u,具有强γ辐射。此外,Np的丰富和薄弱的化学探索也是一个挑战。美国能源部的历史238钚库存已经被大量消耗,支持新任务的可用238钚供应已经减少。NASA和美国能源部已经开始为美国太空任务重建238钚生产的广泛项目。在欧洲,欧空局也对欧洲为欧洲空间任务生产238钚表现出一些兴趣。在本综述中,通过主要比较美国的先进技术与欧洲的技术和现有设施,从欧洲生产的角度讨论和评估了辐照生产238 Pu的Np靶材的制造和靶材的加工。两种主要的目标制造选择:铝包覆NpO - 2 -Al CERMET和锆包覆全陶瓷NpO - 2目标。记录良好的CERMET途径的主要优点可以在照射阶段发现。这些靶允许在重金属载荷部分具有很高的灵活性,并具有很高的热性能。但是,就后端产生的核废料的数量和类型而言,它们有明显的缺点。相反,全陶瓷目标在概念上与传统核燃料非常相似,并且从后端角度来看是首选,尽管大规模生产的演示仍有待完成。目前,欧洲没有可运行的大规模Np目标生产、辐照、加工或238钚处理设施,但核基础设施存在,并且正在运行,至少可以在小规模上研究每一个步骤,所有步骤都与欧洲成熟的工业能力相似。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Radiochimica Acta
Radiochimica Acta 化学-核科学技术
CiteScore
2.90
自引率
16.70%
发文量
78
审稿时长
6 months
期刊介绍: Radiochimica Acta publishes manuscripts encompassing chemical aspects of nuclear science and technology.
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