There has been substantial interest in accelerator-driven subcritical systems (ADSS) for producing power and for destruction of high-level radioactive waste. However, there are questions about the best way to control such a system throughout its fuel cycle. Nuclear reactor technology is now decades old and the technique of controlling reactors by controlling reactivity using control rods, to assure safe and reliable operation is understood well enough to use reactors in civilian public utilities.
The dynamics of a neutron-source-driven subcritical reactor are different and faster than those of a critical reactor, and control of the source can also be used. This requires detailed system level modeling. Noting that, at a top-level view, that an ADSS must contain many of the same components and concepts as a chemical process system ? and noting that there is much published software code available which model these components and concepts for chemical process systems ? it seems reasonable to inquire whether such code might be usefully applied to model ADSS dynamics. This paper presents the results of this inquiry and proposes further study.
