GUINEVERE paves the way for MYRRHA

2010-03-04

Breakthrough in research on nuclear waste transmutation

Today, 4 March 2010, the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK•CEN, inaugurated the research infrastructure GUINEVERE^[1] in the presence of Mr Paul Magnette, Federal Minister of Climate and Energy and also the minister in charge of SCK•CEN, and of Mrs. Sabine Laruelle, Federal Minister of Science Policy. More than 200 people – eminent scientists, industrialists, business leaders – attended this Belgian world premiere. (Watch the pictures on the MYRRHA website)

GUINEVERE is a low-power test reactor that is meant to support the MYRRHA^[2] project. For the construction of GUINEVERE, SCK•CEN launched a close cooperation with European partners, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)^[3] and the CEA (Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique). GUINEVERE consists of a fast reactor that is linked to an accelerator. This accelerator was built by the CNRS, while the CEA has contributed to the construction of the infrastructure and has supplied the necessary fuel for the operation of the system.

GUINEVERE, a low-power model of MYRRHA

GUINEVERE is a limited capacity model of the world’s first demonstration unit for an accelerator driven system or ADS.

MYRRHA is a multidisciplinary research infrastructure in the field of nuclear sciences which is unique in the world and which, for the next 40 years, will be able to meet three challenges: the processing of depleted nuclear waste, the continuous supply of medical radioisotopes and the industrial provision of doped silicon (an essential component of electronic circuits used in renewable energy applications and hybrid vehicle). Because of its specific properties, MYRRHA is a first class instrument for examination of the materials needed for the development of the energy systems of the future.

MYRRHA will advance research into and development of the incineration of highly radioactive nuclear waste. The incineration consists of the splitting off of highly active waste with a very long half-life in order to transform it into waste which is much less radiotoxic, a process called transmutation. MYRRHA is the first demonstration plant in the world of “Accelerator Driven Systems” (ADS) which is being employed for the development of this innovative solution for managing nuclear waste. This study of transmutation complements the decision in favour of geological disposal.

Unlike conventional reactors, ADS-based reactors such as MYRRHA and GUINEVERE produce fast neutrons capable of burning radioactive waste, and their core is also subcritical so that the system remains highly secure. Since they are subcritical, ADS-based reactors need an external neutron source. This is the purpose of the accelerator. The reactor of an ADS is driven by the accelerator and is thus very easy to control. The new experimental installation, GUINEVERE, will be used for the preparation of the operating and control procedures for subcritical reactors.

“GUINEVERE and MYRRHA are projects which will make Belgium the centre of international scientific programmes. They are also important tools for shaping future engineers and scientists,” according to Eric van Walle, Director-General of SCK•CEN.

[1] GUINEVERE: Generator of Uninterrupted Intense NEutrons at the lead VEnus REactor

[2] MYRRHA: Multipurpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications (http://myrrha.sckcen.be)

[3] CNRS/IN2P3: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Institut National de la Physique Nucléaire et de la Physique des Particules

GUINEVERE inauguration: the pictures

More information

Prof. Dr Hamid Aït Abderrahim, , + 32 14 33 34 00
Director of the Institute of Advanced Nuclear Systems SCK•CEN and director of the MYRRHA project

Anne Verledens, , + 32 14 33 25 86

Cathy Schoels, , + 32 477 680 280

Daly Motion documentary on GUINEVERE (in French):
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcidxz_guinevere-un-pas-vers-l-incin%C3%A9r