A novel non-power-producing fusion-fission breeder reactor

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Fusion Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7246745

Wrisley, K L; Steiner, D

One of the potentially attractive applications of nuclear fusion is to breed fissile fuel for use in fission reactors. A fusion-fission breeder is examined, based on four unique concepts: operations in a non-power-producing mode, a low technology (low pressure and temperature) aqueous self-cooled blanket for breeding fissile fuel, the spherical torus confinement scheme (low-aspect-ratio tokamak), and the catalyzed deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fuel cycle. The breeding of fissile fuel is accomplished by dissolving a uranium salt, i.e., uranyl nitrate, in heavy water that cools both the first wall and blanket. The use of the catalyzed D-D fuel cycle eliminates the need for tritium breeding. The neutron wall loading for this reactor is only --0.5 MW/m/sup 2/, and the fusion power output is --1000 MW(thermal). Analysis of this novel reactor concept indicates a fissile breeding ratio of 1.34 fissile atom/source neutron using a 15-cm beryllium moderator/multiplier region and 7 mol% uranyl nitrate in the heavy water. A typical reactor using this blanket can produce more than 7400 kg of plutonium per operating year. This concept can provide fissile fuel at a cost that is comparable to previous fusion breeder designs but at a capital cost of about one-third that of the previous designs.

• Research Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, Fusion Engineering Program, Troy, NY (US)
• OSTI ID: 7246745
• Journal Information: Fusion Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Fusion Technol.; (United States) Vol. 13:3; ISSN FUSTE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BERYLLIUM
BREEDING BLANKETS
BREEDING RATIO
CATALYSTS
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
CONVERSION RATIO
COOLING
DESIGN
DEUTERIUM TARGET
ELEMENTS
FIRST WALL
FISSILE MATERIALS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
HEAVY WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNITION SPHERICAL TORUS
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
LOW PRESSURE
LOW TEMPERATURE
MATERIALS
METALS
NEUTRAL-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
NEUTRON TRANSPORT
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLUTONIUM
PRODUCTION
RADIATION TRANSPORT
REACTOR COMPONENTS
TARGETS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR WALLS
TOKAMAK DEVICES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANYL COMPOUNDS
URANYL NITRATES
WATER