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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.
S.K. Sood, C. Fong, K.M. Kalyanam, O.K. Kveton, A. Busigin, D.M. Ruthven
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 2 | March 1992 | Pages 299-304
Tritium Processing | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29761
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA), which is a well established industrial process for separating and purifying industrial gases, is proposed for recovery of hydrogen isotopes from the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) solid breeder He purge stream. The PSA process has an inherent advantage over a recently proposed Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA) design because it allows much faster cycling (10 vs. 480 min.) and therefore has significantly (48 times) lower tritium inventory. The maximum tritium inventory for a 10 minute PSA cycle is less than 0.5 g of tritium, thus meeting an important safety goal of ITER. The PSA process is based on using molecular sieve 5A at 77 K, with pressure cycling from 1 – 2 MPa during the adsorption cycle, to a rough vacuum during regeneration. Experiments have been carried out to confirm the H2/He adsorption isotherms on molecular sieve 5A, and to develop new data points at low H2 partial pressures and a temperature of 77 K. A dynamic simulation model has been developed to facilitate system design and optimization. Simulation results indicate that a single-pass hydrogen isotope recovery of 50–80% is achievable, and that hydrogen purity of more than 99% is possible to obtain from the blanket purge stream containing only 0.1% total hydrogen in helium. Further experiments are underway to verify the dynamic simulation results and to investigate alternative adsorbent materials.