Design of a helium-cooled molten salt fusion breeder
A new conceptual blanket design for a fusion reactor produces fissile material for fission power plants. Fission is suppressed by using beryllium, rather than uranium, to multiply neutrons and also by minimizing the fissile inventory. The molten-salt breeding media (LiF + BeF/sub 2/ + TghF/sub 4/) is circulated through the blanket and on to the online processing system where /sup 233/U and tritium are continuously removed. Helium cools the blanket including the steel pipes containing the molten salt. Austenitic steel was chosen because of its ease of fabrication, adequate radiation-damage lifetime, and low corrosion rate by molten salt. We estimate the breeder, having 3000 MW of fusion power, produces 6400 kg of /sup 233/U per year, which is enough to provide make up for 20 GWe of LWR per year (or 14 LWR plants of 4440 MWt) or twice that many HTGRs or CANDUs. Safety is enhanced because the afterheat is low and the blanket materials do not react with air or water. The fusion breeder based on a pre-MARS tandem mirror is estimated to cost $4.9B or 2.35 times an LWR of the same power. The estimated present value cost of the /sup 2/anumber/sup 3/U produced is $40/g if utility financed or $16/g if government financed.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA); TRW Energy Development Group, Redondo Beach, CA (USA); GA Technologies, Inc., San Diego, CA (USA); Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA); Bechtel National, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5689987
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-92024; CONF-850310-71; ON: DE85010474
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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