MYRRHA: A multipurpose accelerator driven system for research & development

SCK·CEN, the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, in partnership with IBA s.a., Ion Beam Applications, is designing an ADS prototype, MYRRHA, and is conducting an associated R&D programme. The project focuses primarily on research on structural materials, nuclear fuel, liquid metals and associated aspects, on subcritical reactor physics and subsequently on applications such as nuclear waste transmutation, radioisotope production and safety research on sub-critical systems. The MYRRHA system is intended to be a multipurpose R&D facility and is expected to become a new major research infrastructure for the European partners presently involved in the ADS Demo development. Ion Beam Applications is performing the accelerator development. Currently the preliminary conceptual design of the MYRRHA system is under way and an intensive R&D programme is assessing the points of greatest risk in the present design. This work will define the final choice of characteristics of the facility. In this paper, we will report on the status of the pre-design study as of June 2000 as well as on the methods and results of the R&D programme.