Possibility of Using Gamma Radiation From HTR Reactors for Processing of Food and Medical Products

During the fission process in most of the presently operating nuclear reactors nuclear energy is converted into thermal energy and transferred to common steamcycles for powergeneration. As part of the fission process also α-, β- and neutrons particles are released from the nucleus; the release of gamma-rays is also a part of the fission process. In present nuclear reactors α-, β-, neutrons particles and particularly Gamma-rays are not gainfully used as a result of the reactor design and of the containment. These plants are built as required by regulations and international standards for safety. The inherently safe HTR reactor, by its physics and design, does not need a special reinforced containment and it is worth looking into the possibilities of this design feature to use the by-products, such as Gamma-rays, from nuclear fission. In the HTR Pebble Bed Reactors the α-, and β-particles will remain in the kernels in the pebbles. This means that only the neutron particles and gamma-rays will be available outside the reactor pressure vessel. In this report a proposal is presented to use the gamma-rays of the HTR reactor for irradiation of food and agricultural produce. For neutron shielding a reflector is placed inside the reactor while outside the reactor neutron- and thermal-shielding will be accomplished with water. The high energy gamma-rays will pass through the water-shield and could be harnessed for radiation processing of food and medical products.