Neutronics and photonics of inertial confinement fusion pellets with internal breeding
The neutronics and photonics performance of a pellet with a small DT core spark trigger, surrounded by a large volume of D to enable tritium and He-3 breeding, is examined. The response to a 70% DD and 30% DT composite neutron spectrum is calculated using either W, Be, or Pb as structural materials at core density radius products ranging from 9.42 to 94.2 kg/m/sup 2/. At a core density-product of 94.2, the DT neutron source leads to an excess particle multiplication of 0.43 neutrons per source neutron. The percentage of energy leakage from the pellet in the form of escaped neutrons is 42.3% of the source energy for the DT source, and 28.8% for the DD source. The gamma-ray energy percentage deposited in the pellet is 26.7% for the DT source and 106.6% for the DD source. For the pellet with the composite source, the energy multiplication factor is 1.27. Thus the large DD contribution to the composite neutron source results in the pellet performing many of the functions normally reserved for the blanket such as spectral softening, breeding, and neutron and energy multiplication. The neutron energy leakage is 38.4% of the source energy for the composite source. It is estimated that the neutron energy leakage amounts to 10% of the fusion energy, compared with 70% as neutron energy in a DT pellet. These results are significantly different from those encountered in conventional DT inertial confinement designs, and thus lower tritium inventories, higher power densities, reduced radiation damage, and materials activation of the reactor coolant and structure may be achievable.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL
- OSTI ID:
- 5167482
- Journal Information:
- J. Fusion Energy; (United States), Journal Name: J. Fusion Energy; (United States) Vol. 3:4; ISSN JFEND
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BERYLLIUM
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BREEDING RATIO
CONFINEMENT
CONVERSION RATIO
DEUTERIUM TARGET
ELEMENTS
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FUEL PELLETS
GAMMA TRANSPORT THEORY
HELIUM 3
HELIUM ISOTOPES
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
ISOTOPES
LEAD
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATERIALS
METALS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRAL-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
NEUTRON FLUX
NEUTRON TRANSPORT
NEUTRON TRANSPORT THEORY
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PELLETS
PHOTON TRANSPORT
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
RADIATION FLUX
RADIATION TRANSPORT
RADIOISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES
TARGETS
THERMONUCLEAR IGNITION
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TRANSPORT THEORY
TRITIUM
TUNGSTEN
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES