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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.
I.N. Sviatoslavsky, G.L. Kulcinski, G.A. Moses, M.E. Sawan, R.L. Engelstad, E. Larsen, E. Lovell, J. MacFarlane, E. Mogahed, R.R. Peterson, J.W. Powers, L.J. Wittenberg
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 19 | Number 3 | May 1991 | Pages 634-639
Inertial Fusion | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29416
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
SIRIUS-T is a study of an advanced tritium production facility which utilizes direct drive symmetric illumination inertial confinement fusion provided by a KrF laser. Symmetrically illuminated reactor systems have some very unique problems which have to do with a large number of beams. In SIRIUS-T, a single shell ICF target is illuminated by 92 symmetrically distributed beams around a spherical cavity of 4 m radius. The driver energy is 2 MJ and the target gain 50. The first wall consists of graphite tiles bonded to an actively cooled vanadium structure. There is a 1.0 torr xenon buffer gas in the cavity. The structural material is the vanadium alloy V-3Ti-1Si, the breeding/cooling material is lithium 90% enriched in Li-6 and the neutron multiplier is Be, giving a tritium breeding ratio of 1.903. The total tritium inventory in the reactor is 184 g. A routine release of 29 Ci/d is estimated and the maximum accidental release is 19.9 g. At 100 MJ yield, a repetition rate of 10 Hz and an availability of 70%, a tritium surplus of 33.3 kg per calendar year is achieved. Using 100% debt financing, and a 30 full power year (FPY) reactor lifetime, the cost of tritium production is $8,885/g at 5% interest on capital and $14,611/g at 10% in 1990 dollars.