TRAKULA (transmutationsrelevante kernphysikalische Untersuchungen langlebiger Aktinide) is a joint research project of "Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung" (BMBF) about nuclear physics investigations with modern technological and numerical methods.

The proposal named "Transmutationsrelevante kernphysikalische Untersuchungen mit Einsatz moderner technologischer und numerischer Methoden" was approved by BMBF and the project started on 01/10/2009.

A central topic of the project are experiments concerning the transmutation of radioactive waste.

NEWS

The final graduate seminar took place from 25. to 27. February 2013 in Bad Honnef.

Status report given at KIT, Karlsruhe, 14.11.2012 (partly german slides)

Introduction

Structure of the research project:

• Production and experimental use of (fast) neutrons to study nuclear reactions relevant to the transmutation of nuclear waste

• Spectroscopy with photon beams in the MeV range and development of high resolution detectors also relevant to the nuclear decay measurements of transmutation products

• Installation of an underground laboratory for measuring low radioactivities and usage in context of transmutation research

• Production and use of homogeneous thin actinide targets for neutron induced fission measurements

• Characterisation of long-lived radioisotopes with AMS

• Graduate seminars and summer schools to maintain competencies in the field of nuclear safety and radiation research

Research facilities:

• nELBE at HZDR

• "Felsenkeller" low background laboratory of VKTA (used by HZDR and TUD)

• PTB Braunschweig

• MLL Tandem accelerator of TUM

• IKP Köln

• Institute of nuclear chemistry of JGU Mainz

Members:

• Universität zu Köln: B. Bruyneel, J. Eberth, P. Reiter

• Technische Universität München: S. Bishop, Th. Faestermann, R. Gernhäuser, R. Krücken

• PTB Braunschweig: R. Nolte, M. Erhard

• Johannes Gutenberg - Universität Mainz: K.Eberhardt

• Technische Universität Dresden: K.Zuber, F. Krüger, R. Stasch

• Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf: T. Cowan, E. Grosse, A.R. Junghans, R. Schwengner, A. Wagner

Office of project administration for BMBF:

• Karlsruhe Wassertechnologie und Entsorgung (PTKA-WTE): Dr. S. Stumpf