Fusion breeder - an early application of nuclear fusion
Fusion breeders are fusion reactors designed specifically to produce fissile fuel for fission reactors such as the light water reactor (LWR). Two kinds of fusion breeders are reviewed. The first uses a blanket designed to multiply neutrons by fissioning the abundant isotopes of /sup 238/U and /sup 232/Th. This design is predicted to produce enough fissile fuel for four or more LWRs and produces so much energy in the blanket that fusion performance can be reduced to a level technologically feasible within the next 10 to 15 yr. The second kind of fusion breeder uses a blanket designed to suppress fission, which enhances safety by the nonfissioning multiplication of neutrons in beryllium. This fission-suppressed fusion breeder is predicted to produce enough fissile fuel for ten or more LWRs of equal thermal power. Either kind of fusion breeder has the potential to provide a source of reasonably priced fissile fuel after the low-cost natural uranium fuel supply is gone. The suppressed-fission-type fusion breeder could enable conventional nuclear plants to be expanded to 50% of the US electrical capacity by the year 2050, if necessary. Despite the high development risk associated with fusion technologies, it appears that the potential advantages of the fusion breeder could be great enough to warrant an increase in research effort to the level required to determine its feasibility for commercial application and to ensure its availability for commercial application and to ensure its availability when needed, provided that there is clear evidence of an increase in US demand for fission power, as evidence by new reactor orders. 33 references, 4 figures, 2 tables.
- Research Organization:
- TRW, Inc., Redondo Beach, CA
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6365941
- Journal Information:
- Fusion Technol.; (United States), Vol. 6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BREEDING BLANKETS
NUCLEAR FUELS
HYBRID REACTORS
PLANNING
REACTORS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
THORIUM 232
URANIUM 238
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ENERGY SOURCES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FUELS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
THORIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
700201* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Blanket Engineering