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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.
Sümer Şahın, Ralph W. Moir, Sabahattin Ünalan
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 26 | Number 4 | December 1994 | Pages 1311-1325
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/FST94-A30316
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A neutron physics analysis of the modified PACER concept was conducted to assess the required liquid zone thickness of which the volume fraction is 25% in the form of Li2BeF4 (Flibe) jets and 75% as void. These liquid jets surround a low-yield nuclear fusion explosive and protect the chamber walls. The neutronic calculations assumed a 30-m-radius underground spherical geometry cavity with a 1-cm-thick stainless steel liner attached to the excavated rock wall. Achievement of tritium breeding ratios of1.05 and LIS requires a Flibe thickness of 1.6 and 2.0 m, respectively, which results in average energy densities of 24 900 and 19085 J/g. Our calculations show that for a Flibe zone thickness > 2.5 m, the activation of the steel liner and rock would be low enough after 30 yr of operation that the cavity would satisfy the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's rules for “shallow burial” upon decommissioning, assuming other sources of radioactivity could be removed or qualified as well. This means that upon decommissioning, the site could essentially be abandoned, or the cavity could be used as a shallow burial site for other qualified materials.