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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
Stefan Taczanowski
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 13 | Number 1 | January 1988 | Pages 125-130
Technical Paper | Blanket Engineering | doi.org/10.13182/FST88-A25089
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The resonance self-shielding effects in heterogeneous fissile breeding systems have been investigated. In media having peaked resonance cross sections, the influence of heterogeneities is manifested in the energy and space neutron flux depressions. The outcomes of numerical calculations performed for various pellet sizes and fissile material concentrations are shown in the form of “het-to-hom” ratios of the results obtained by considering normalized heterogeneities in relation to those accounting for self-shielding in respective, computationally homogenized mixtures. The observed reduction in fissile breeding and the increase in tritium breeding, 233U fissions, and parasitic absorptions are of the order of several tens of percent, depending on the fertile content. It is emphasized that neglecting heterogeneities leads to serious errors and nonoptimum designs, thus proving to be inadmissible in neutronic calculations for emerging nuclear energy systems.