Neutronics analysis of deuterium-tritium-driven experimental hybrid blankets

Journal Article · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984 · Fusion Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5509933

Sahin, S; Kumar, A

At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, an experimental fusion and fusion-fission (hybrid) reactor facility is near completion. Experiments are scheduled to begin in February 1984. The experimental cavity leads one to plan experiments mostly with blankets in plane geometry. Five different hybrid blanket modules in plane geometry are analyzed with two different left boundary conditions representing varying experimental situations. Numbers I and II represent energy and fissile fuel producing blankets, whereas number III is mainly a fissile fuel producing blanket. Numbers IV and V are actinide burning blankets. It is shown that the overall neutronic performance, such as k /sub eff/ , energy multiplication factor M, fusile and fissile breeding, of a hybrid blanket with transplutonium actinide fuel is already better than that of a UO/sub 2/ or ThO/sub 2/ hybrid blanket. Furthermore, the transplutonium actinide waste is partly converted into precious nuclear fuel of a new type, such as /sup 242m/ Am and /sup 245/Cm. An experimental blanket with a vacuum left boundary has a harder neutron spectrum, and also excessive neutron leakage from the front surface and the lateral surfaces, as compared to that in the blanket in confinement geometry. It leads to the poorer neutronic performance of the former.

• Research Organization: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Institut de Genie Atomique, PHB-Ecublens, Lausanne
• OSTI ID: 5509933
• Journal Information: Fusion Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Fusion Technol.; (United States) Vol. 6:1; ISSN FUSTE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700201* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Blanket Engineering
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
BARYON REACTIONS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
BREEDING BLANKETS
BREEDING RATIO
CHALCOGENIDES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONVERSION RATIO
D-T REACTORS
ELEMENTS
HADRON REACTIONS
HYBRID REACTORS
MATERIALS
METALS
MULTIPLICATION FACTORS
NEUTRON LEAKAGE
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NEUTRON SPECTRA
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEON REACTIONS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
REACTOR COMPONENTS
SPECTRA
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
THORIUM COMPOUNDS
THORIUM OXIDES
TRANSPLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM OXIDES