scholarly journals Condensation of ablated first-wall materials in the cascade inertial confinement fusion reactor

1985 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J.C. Ladd
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Reactor ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
First Wall ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Wall Materials

Power generation system using two models for an inertial confinement fusion reactor

2005 ◽  
Vol 219 (5) ◽  
pp. 353-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. C. Kien ◽  
N Harada
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Reactor ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
First Wall ◽  
Generation System ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Power Generation System ◽  
Plant Efficiency ◽  
Cooling Model

In this study, the series cooling model and the parallel cooling model of inertial confinement fusion reactor were used as a heat source for driving the MHD/Gas Turbine combined power generation system. This reactor is designed with the first wall and the blanket, which are used to collect the products of fusion reactions (including X-ray, charged particles, and neutrons) and to convert the fusion energy into thermal energy. In the series cooling model, the coolant after being heated in the blanket is re-heated again in the first wall, therefore, > 2000 K working gas can be obtained. In the parallel cooling model, 1300-1700 K working gas was extracted from the blanket for driving the Gas Turbine cycle and high temperature 2000-2400 K working gas can be extracted from the first wall for driving the MHD cycle. The system using the series cooling model reached a highest plant efficiency of 58.34 per cent whereas the system using the parallel cooling model reached a highest plant efficiency of 57.49 per cent. It was found that the enthalpy extraction and the first wall output temperature both affected the fusion output power, therefore, the plant efficiency was greatly affected by these factors. With the increase of reactor output temperature, the plant efficiency increased, however, because of the temperature limitation of the Gas Turbine and blanket, an output temperature > 2400 K from reactor cannot be used.

W and B4C Coatings for Nuclear Fusion Reactors

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Cavasin ◽  
T. Brzezinski ◽  
S. Grenier ◽  
M. Smagorinski ◽  
P. Tsantrizos
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Nuclear Fusion ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
High Hardness ◽  
Fusion Reactors ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
X Rays ◽  
First Wall ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Confinement Fusion

Abstract The development of nuclear fusion reactors is presently considered to be the only possible answer to the world's increasing demand for energy, while respecting the environment. Nuclear fusion devices may be broadly divided into two main groups with distinctively different characteristics: magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) and inertial confinement fusion (ICF) reactors. Although the two nuclear fusion technologies show similarities in energy levels (as high as 3 J/cm2) and type of environment (high temperature plasmas) to be contained, the materials of choice for the protective shields (first wall in the ICF and deflectors in the MCF) differ significantly. In ICF reactors, multiple laser beams are used to ignite the fuel in single pulses. This process exposes the first wall to microshrapnel, unconverted light, x-rays, and neutrons. B4C is a low Z material that offers high depth x-ray absorption to minimize surface heating, is not activated by neutrons (will not become radioactive), and offers high hardness and vapour temperature. The long term operation envisioned within MCF reactors, where a continuous nuclear fusion of the fuel is sustained within the confinement of a magnetic field, favours the use of high Z materials, such as W, to protect the plasma exposed deflectors. The reason is a lower erosion rate and a shorter ionization distance in the plasma, which favours the redeposition of the sputtered atoms, both resulting in a lower contamination of the plasma. The production of the first wall and the deflector shields using solid B,C and W materials respectively, is obviously unthinkable. However, ProTeC has developed high density coatings for both ICF and MCF nuclear fusion reactors. W coatings with less then 2% porosity have been produced for both, the Tokamac MCF reactor and its Toroid Fueler. The toroid fueler is a plasma generating device designed to accelerate particles and inject them into the centre of the operating fusion reactor in order to refuel. For the application in an ICF reactor, B4C coatings exhibiting porosity levels below 3% with a hardness above 2500 HV have been deposited directly onto Al substrate. Properties such as outgassing, resistance to erosion and shrapnel, and the influence of x-rays have been studied and showed exceptional results.

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