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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.
I. Maya, K. R. Schultz, J. M. Battaglia, L. C. Brown, E. T. Cheng, R. L. Creedon, D. R. Engler, W. G. Homeyer, M. T. Simnad, P. W. Trester, C. P. C. Wong, R. W. Goodrich, B. K. Jensen, R. Krauss
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 4 | Number 2 | September 1983 | Pages 178-183
Hybrids and Nonelectric Applications | doi.org/10.13182/FST83-A22864
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A conceptual fusion synfuel production system has been developed with the unique features of: (1) a fusion blanket producing high-temperature (1250°C) process heat, and (2) the GA sulfur-iodine thermochemical cycle. The system incorporates a two-zone blanket which achieves a tritium breeding ratio of 1.1 while delivering a high fraction (30%) of the fusion heat at high temperatures (1250°C). The multiple barriers to tritium permeation in the blanket design permit the hydrogen product to meet 10CFR20 regulatory requirements without stringent requirements on the tritium recovery systems. A ceramic heat exchanger, incorporating SiC tubes and headers to contain the process stream and a cooled, Inconel 718 pressure shell to contain the helium, was designed for transferring the heat from the high-temperature coolant to the process. A good heat-line match of the blanket heat-source temperature distribution to the requirements of the thermochemical plant was attained under the dual goal of maximizing process efficiency and minimizing the hydrogen cost. The results are a process efficiency of 45%, an overall plant efficiency of 43%, and an estimated cost of hydrogen of $12 to $14 per Gigajoule of hydrogen ($11 to $13 per million Btu).