Feasibility study of a fission-suppressed tokamak fusion breeder
The preliminary conceptual design of a tokamak fissile fuel producer is described. The blanket technology is based on the fission suppressed breeding concept where neutron multiplication occurs in a bed of 2 cm diameter beryllium pebbles which are cooled by helium at 50 atmospheres pressure. Uranium-233 is bred in thorium metal fuel elements which are in the form of snap rings attached to each beryllium pebble. Tritium is bred in lithium bearing material contained in tubes immersed in the pebble bed and is recovered by a purge flow of helium. The neutron wall load is 3 MW/m/sup 2/ and the blanket material is ferritic steel. The net fissile breeding ratio is 0.54 +- 30% per fusion reaction. This results in the production of 4900 kg of /sup 233/U per year from 3000 MW of fusion power. This quantity of fuel will provide makeup fuel for about 12 LWRs of equal thermal power or about 18 1 GW/sub e/ LWRs. The calculated cost of the produced uranium-233 is between $23/g and $53/g or equivalent to $10/kg to $90/kg of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ depending on government financing or utility financing assumptions. Additional topics discussed in the report include the tokamak operating mode (both steady state and long pulse considered), the design and breeding implications of using a poloidal divertor for impurity control, reactor safety, the choice of a tritium breeder, and fuel management.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5800815
- Report Number(s):
- UCID-20154; ON: DE85009099
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Design of a helium-cooled molten salt fusion breeder
Helium-cooled molten-salt fusion breeder
Related Subjects
HYBRID REACTORS
DESIGN
NUCLEAR FUELS
BREEDING
TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS
URANIUM 233
BERYLLIUM
BREEDING BLANKETS
COST
NEUTRONS
POLOIDAL DIVERTORS
TRITIUM
WALL LOADING
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BARYONS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DIVERTORS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FERMIONS
FUELS
HADRONS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATERIALS
METALS
NUCLEAR FUEL CONVERSION
NUCLEI
NUCLEONS
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
POWER DENSITY
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
URANIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
700205* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Fuel
Heating
& Injection Systems