Liquid Scoping Study for Tritium-Lean, Fast Ignition Inertial Fusion Energy Power Plants
In a thick-liquid protected chamber design, such as HYLIFE-II, a molten-salt is used to attenuate neutrons and protect the chamber structures from radiation damage. The molten-salt absorbs some of the material and energy given off by the target explosion. In the case of a fast ignition inertial fusion system, advanced targets have been proposed that may be Self-sufficient in the tritium breeding (i.e., the amount of tritium bred in target exceeds the amount burned). These ''tritium-lean'' targets contain approximately 0.5% tritium and 99.5% deuterium, but require a large pr of 10-20 g/cm{sup 2}. Although most of the yield is provided by D-T reactions, the majority of fusion reactions are D-D, which produces a net surplus of tritium. This aspect allows for greater freedom when selecting a liquid for the protective blanket (lithium-bearing compounds are not required). This study assesses characteristics of many single, binary, and ternary molten-salts. Using the NIST Properties of Molten Salts Database, approximately 4300 molten-salts were included in the study [1]. As an initial screening, salts were evaluated for their safety and environmental (S&E) characteristics, which included an assessment of waste disposal rating, contact dose, and radioactive afterheat. Salts that passed the S&E criteria were then evaluated for neutron shielding ability and pumping power. The pumping power was calculated using three components: velocity head losses, frictional losses, and lift. This assessment left us with 57 molten-salts to recommend for further analysis. Many of these molten-salts contain elements such as sodium, lithium, beryllium, boron, fluorine, and oxygen. Recommendations for further analysis are also made.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 15013411
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-ID-144899; TRN: US0600862
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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