Interesting possibilities of fusion--fission

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1975

OSTI ID:4106119

Werner, R W; Lee, J D; Moir, R W; Carlson, G A; Peterson, M A; Wolkenhauer, W C; Leonard, Jr, B R

The hybrid reactor, a fusion plasma source driving a subcritical fission assembly, is discussed. Hybrids combine neutron-rich but power-poor fusion, with power-rich but neutron-poor fission. Hybrids may be realizable before pure fusion since they substantially relax the plasma and engineering requirements. A fissile blanket could be designed with one or more of the following primary goals: energy amplification on a power reactor, production of fissile fuel, and/ or an interim system in the development of pure fusion. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and Pacific Northwest Laboratory have undertaken several hybrid studies including fast fission blankets, thermal blankets, and fusion systems with power production as the primary goal. Present blanket studies have concentrated largely on neutronic performance, and energy multiplication in the 7 to 40 range has been demonstrated. Beyond the ability of the blanket to energy- multiply, it is necessary that many other design requirements be satisfied, such as structural, heat transfer and economics. Accessibility of the blanket for servicing is very important. System components other than the blanket must also be considered. A complete design study to determine whether the hybrid can be economically competitive and environmentally acceptable in a time period that precedes pure fusion has been begun by the authors. (auth)

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Livermore
• NSA Number: NSA-33-014585
• OSTI ID: 4106119
• Country of Publication: IAEA
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS-- HYBRID SYSTEMS
700205* --Fusion Energy--Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Heating & Fueling Systems
BREEDING BLANKETS
DESIGN
ECONOMICS
FISSION
N70800* --Physics--Controlled Thermonuclear Research-- Thermonuclear Engineering & Equipment
PERFORMANCE