Neutronic aspects of inert matrix fuels for application in ADS

Accelerator driven systems may operate on uranium or thorium free fuels. In order to guarantee the stability of such fuels at high temperatures, the use of inert matrices is foreseen. In the present study, safety parameters of 800 MWth ADS cores operating on oxide and nitride fuels with high americium content are investigated for a representative range of pin and core geometries. It is shown that among the inert matrices investigated, chromium yields the lowest void worth, hafnium nitride the highest fission probability for americium and magnesia the highest burnup potential.