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RIC panel discusses pathway to fusion commercialization
Fusion leaders at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual Regulatory Information Conference discussed the path forward for regulating the burgeoning fusion industry. The speakers discussed government and private industry initiatives in the United States and United Kingdom, with a focus on efforts shaping the near-term deployment of commercial fusion machines.
A recurring theme was the need to explain the difference between fission and fusion. Representatives from the Department of Energy and Type One Energy highlighted this as an important distinction for regulators, as it will allow fusion to undergo its own independent maturation process for developing standards and regulations in the same way that fission has. Lea Perlas, Fusion Program director at the Virginia Department of Health, said that confusion between fission and fusion has been a common cause for misplaced concerns among community members surrounding Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ proposed fusion plant site near Richmond, Va.
James R. Powell, J. A. Fillo
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 4 | Number 3 | November 1983 | Pages 561-565
Special Section Contents | Radioactivation of Fusion Structures | doi.org/10.13182/FST83-A22807
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
High-purity, low-activity powder metallurgy aluminum alloys can be developed for use in a fusion reactor at 300 to 400°C using helium as a heat transfer medium. Hot water as a coolant may limit aluminum to 200°C. From a heat transfer point of view, based on the dual- or two-temperature design approach, commercial fusion reactor blanket designs appear to be feasible. To meet all of the blanket design requirements feasibility requires quantification of thermal hydraulics, materials, neutronics, and material responses. Also, radiation damage and lifetime analyses are key issues for design qualification. Based on tests performed to date, aluminum appears well suited for experimental fusion reactors operating at wall temperatures below 200°C.