Advanced Spheromak Fusion Reactor
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Nuclear Energy: Fission and Fusion
CHAPTER 5 NUCLEAR ENERGY: FISSION AND FUSION Many of the technologies that will help us to meet the new air quality standards in America can also help to address climate change. President Bill Clinton 1 Two distinct processes involving the nuclei of atoms can be harnessed, in principle, for energy production: fission—the splitting of a nucleus—and fusion—the joining together of two nuclei. For any given mass or volume of fuel, nuclear processes generate more energy than can be produced through any other fuel-based approach. Another attractive feature of these energy-producing reactions is that they do not produce greenhouse gases (GHG) or other forms of air pollution directly. In the case of nuclear fission—a mature though controversial energy technology—electricity is generated from the energy released when heavy nuclei break apart. In the case of nuclear fusion, much work remains in the quest to sustain the fusion reactions and then to design and build practical fusion power plants. Fusion’s fuel is abundant, namely, light atoms such as the isotopes of hydrogen, and essentially limitless. The most optimistic timetable for fusion development is half a century, because of the extraordinary scientific and engineering challenges involved, but fusion’s benefits are so globally attractive that fusion R&D is an important component of today’s energy R&D portfolio internationally. Fission power currently provides about 17 percent of the world’s electric power. As of December 1996, 442 nuclear power reactors were operating in 30 countries, and 36 more plants were under construction. If fossil plants were used to produce the amount of electricity generated by these nuclear plants, more than an additional 300 million metric tons of carbon would be emitted each year. -
L-Shell and Energy Dependence of Magnetic Mirror Point of Charged
Soni et al. Earth, Planets and Space (2020) 72:129 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-020-01264-5 FULL PAPER Open Access L-shell and energy dependence of magnetic mirror point of charged particles trapped in Earth’s magnetosphere Pankaj K. Soni* , Bharati Kakad and Amar Kakad Abstract In the Earth’s inner magnetosphere, there exist regions like plasmasphere, ring current, and radiation belts, where the population of charged particles trapped along the magnetic feld lines is more. These particles keep performing gyration, bounce and drift motions until they enter the loss cone and get precipitated to the neutral atmosphere. Theoretically, the mirror point latitude of a particle performing bounce motion is decided only by its equatorial pitch angle. This theoretical manifestation is based on the conservation of the frst adiabatic invariant, which assumes that the magnetic feld varies slowly relative to the gyro-period and gyro-radius. However, the efects of gyro-motion can- not be neglected when gyro-period and gyro-radius are large. In such a scenario, the theoretically estimated mirror point latitudes of electrons are likely to be in agreement with the actual trajectories due to their small gyro-radius. Nevertheless, for protons and other heavier charged particles like oxygen, the gyro-radius is relatively large, and the actual latitude of the mirror point may not be the same as estimated from the theory. In this context, we have carried out test particle simulations and found that the L-shell, energy, and gyro-phase of the particles do afect their mirror points. Our simulations demonstrate that the existing theoretical expression sometimes overestimates or underesti- mates the magnetic mirror point latitude depending on the value of L-shell, energy and gyro-phase due to underlying guiding centre approximation. -
NETS 2020 Template
بÀƵƧǘȁǞƧƊǶ §ȲȌǐȲƊǿ ƊƧDzɈȌɈǘƵwȌȌȁƊȁƮȌȁ ɈȌwƊȲȺɈǘȲȌɐǐǘƊƮɨƊȁƧǞȁǐ خȁɐƧǶƵƊȲɈƵƧǘȁȌǶȌǐǞƵȺƊȁƮ ǞȁȁȌɨƊɈǞȌȁ ǞȺ ȺȯȌȁȺȌȲƵƮ Ʀɯ ɈǘƵ ƊDz ªǞƮǐƵ yƊɈǞȌȁƊǶ ׁׂ׀ׂ y0À² ÀǘǞȺ ƧȌȁǏƵȲƵȁƧƵ خׁׂ׀ׂ ةɈǘ׀׃ƊȁƮ ɩǞǶǶƦƵ ǘƵǶƮ ǏȲȌǿȯȲǞǶ ׂ׆ɈǘٌةmƊƦȌȲƊɈȌȲɯ ɩǞǶǶ ƦƵ ǘƵǶƮ ɨǞȲɈɐƊǶǶɯ ȺȌ ɈǘƊɈ ɈǘƵ ƵȁɈǞȲƵ y0À² خƧȌǿǿɐȁǞɈɯǿƊɯȯƊȲɈǞƧǞȯƊɈƵǞȁɈǘǞȺƵɮƧǞɈǞȁǐǿƵƵɈǞȁǐ ǐȌɨخȌȲȁǶخخׁׂ׀ȁƵɈȺׂششبǘɈɈȯȺ Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space Sponsored by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, April 26th-30th, 2021. Available online at https://nets2021.ornl.gov Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Thanks to the NETS2021 Sponsors! ...................................................................................................................... 2 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2021 – Schedule at a Glance ................................................. 3 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2021 – Technical Sessions and Panels By Track ............... 6 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2021 – Lightning Talk Final Program ................................... 8 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2021 – Track 1 Final Program ............................................. 11 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2021 – Track 2 Final Program ............................................. 14 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2021 – Track 3 Final Program ............................................. 18 -
Uranium (Nuclear)
Uranium (Nuclear) Uranium at a Glance, 2016 Classification: Major Uses: What Is Uranium? nonrenewable electricity Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive element, that is very hard U.S. Energy Consumption: U.S. Energy Production: and heavy and is classified as a metal. It is also one of the few elements 8.427 Q 8.427 Q that is easily fissioned. It is the fuel used by nuclear power plants. 8.65% 10.01% Uranium was formed when the Earth was created and is found in rocks all over the world. Rocks that contain a lot of uranium are called uranium Lighter Atom Splits Element ore, or pitch-blende. Uranium, although abundant, is a nonrenewable energy source. Neutron Uranium Three isotopes of uranium are found in nature, uranium-234, 235 + Energy FISSION Neutron uranium-235, and uranium-238. These numbers refer to the number of Neutron neutrons and protons in each atom. Uranium-235 is the form commonly Lighter used for energy production because, unlike the other isotopes, the Element nucleus splits easily when bombarded by a neutron. During fission, the uranium-235 atom absorbs a bombarding neutron, causing its nucleus to split apart into two atoms of lighter mass. The first nuclear power plant came online in Shippingport, PA in 1957. At the same time, the fission reaction releases thermal and radiant Since then, the industry has experienced dramatic shifts in fortune. energy, as well as releasing more neutrons. The newly released neutrons Through the mid 1960s, government and industry experimented with go on to bombard other uranium atoms, and the process repeats itself demonstration and small commercial plants. -
1 Phys:1200 Lecture 36 — Atomic and Nuclear Physics
1 PHYS:1200 LECTURE 36 — ATOMIC AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS (4) This last lecture of the course will focus on nuclear energy. There is an enormous reservoir of energy in the nucleus and it can be released either in a controlled manner in a nuclear reactor, or in an uncontrolled manner in a nuclear bomb. The energy released in a nuclear reactor can be used to produce electricity. The two processes in which nuclear energy is released – nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, will be discussed in this lecture. The biological effects of nuclear radiation will also be discussed. 36‐1. Biological Effects of Nuclear Radiation.—Radioactive nuclei emit alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. These radiations are harmful to humans because they are ionizing radiation that have the ability to remove electrons from atoms and molecules in human cells. This can lead to the death or alterations of cells. Alteration of the cell can transform a healthy cell into a cancer cell. The hazards of radiation can be minimized by limiting ones overall exposure to radiation. However, there is still some uncertainty in the medical community about the possibility the effect of a single radioactive particle on the bottom. In other words, are the effects cumulative, or can a single exposure lead to cancer in the body. Exposure to radiation can produce either short term effects appearing within minutes of exposure, or long term effects that may appear in years or decades or even in future generations due to changes in DNA. The effects of absorbing ionizing radiation is measured in a unit called the rem. -
Nicholas Christofilos and the Astron Project in America's Fusion Program
Elisheva Coleman May 4, 2004 Spring Junior Paper Advisor: Professor Mahoney Greek Fire: Nicholas Christofilos and the Astron Project in America’s Fusion Program This paper represents my own work in accordance with University regulations The author thanks the Program in Plasma Science and Technology and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for their support. Introduction The second largest building on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s campus today stands essentially abandoned, used as a warehouse for odds and ends. Concrete, starkly rectangular and nondescript, Building 431 was home for over a decade to the Astron machine, the testing device for a controlled fusion reactor scheme devised by a virtually unknown engineer-turned-physicist named Nicholas C. Christofilos. Building 431 was originally constructed in the late 1940s before the Lawrence laboratory even existed, for the Materials Testing Accelerator (MTA), the first experiment performed at the Livermore site.1 By the time the MTA was retired in 1955, the Livermore lab had grown up around it, a huge, nationally funded institution devoted to four projects: magnetic fusion, diagnostic weapon experiments, the design of thermonuclear weapons, and a basic physics program.2 When the MTA shut down, its building was turned over to the lab’s controlled fusion department. A number of fusion experiments were conducted within its walls, but from the early sixties onward Astron predominated, and in 1968 a major extension was added to the building to accommodate a revamped and enlarged Astron accelerator. As did much material within the national lab infrastructure, the building continued to be recycled. After Astron’s termination in 1973 the extension housed the Experimental Test Accelerator (ETA), a prototype for a huge linear induction accelerator, the type of accelerator first developed for Astron. -
The Stellarator Program J. L, Johnson, Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
The Stellarator Program J. L, Johnson, Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A. (On loan from Westlnghouse Research and Development Center) G. Grieger, Max Planck Institut fur Plasmaphyslk, Garching bel Mun<:hen, West Germany D. J. Lees, U.K.A.E.A. Culham Laboratory, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England M. S. Rablnovich, P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, U.S.3.R. Academy of Sciences, Moscow, U.S.S.R. J. L. Shohet, Torsatron-Stellarator Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A. and X. Uo, Plasma Physics Laboratory Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uj', Japan Abstract The woHlwide development of stellnrator research is reviewed briefly and informally. I OISCLAIWCH _— . vi'Tli^liW r.'r -?- A stellarator is a closed steady-state toroidal device for cer.flning a hot plasma In a magnetic field where the rotational transform Is produced externally, from torsion or colls outside the plasma. This concept was one of the first approaches proposed for obtaining a controlled thsrtnonuclear device. It was suggested and developed at Princeton in the 1950*s. Worldwide efforts were undertaken in the 1960's. The United States stellarator commitment became very small In the 19/0's, but recent progress, especially at Carchlng ;ind Kyoto, loeethar with «ome new insights for attacking hotii theoretics] Issues and engineering concerns have led to a renewed optimism and interest a:; we enter the lQRO's. The stellarator concept was borr In 1951. Legend has it that Lyman Spiczer, Professor of Astronomy at Princeton, read reports of a successful demonstration of controlled thermonuclear fusion by R. -
Fusion & High Energy Density Plasma Science
Fusion & High Energy Density Plasma Science Opportunities using Pulsed Power Daniel Sinars, Sandia National Laboratories Fusion Power Associates Dec. 4-5, 2018 Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525. Sandia is the home of Z, the world’s largest pulsed power facility, and its adjacent multi-kJ Z-Beamlet and Z-PW lasers Pulsed power development area Z Periscope ZBL/ZPW Chama ZPW ZBL Chamber Jemez Chamber Chaco Pecos Target Chamber Chaco Chaco Probe Chambers Laser Beam Using two HED facilities, we have demonstrated the scaling of magneto-inertial fusion over factors of 1000x in energy 3 Our fusion yields have been increasing as expected with increased fuel preheating and magnetization Progress since 1st MagLIF in 2014 Demonstrated platform on Omega • Improved laser energy coupling • Improved magnetic field from ~0.3 kJ to 1.4 kJ strength from 9 T to 27 T • Demonstrated 6x improvement • Achieved record MIF yields on in fusion performance, reaching Omega of 5x109 DD in 2018 2.5 kJ DT-equivalent in 2018 4 We believe that Z is capable of producing a fusion yield of ~100 kJ DT-equivalent with MagLIF, though doing it with DT would exceed our safety thresholds for both T inventory & yield Preheat Energy = 6 kJ into 1.87 mg/cc DT § 2D simulations indicate a 22+ MA and 25+ T with 22.6 MA 6 kJ of preheat could produce ~100 kJ 21.1 MA § Presently, we cannot produce these inputs 17.4 MA S. -
NIAC 2011 Phase I Tarditti Aneutronic Fusion Spacecraft Architecture Final Report
NASA-NIAC 2001 PHASE I RESEARCH GRANT on “Aneutronic Fusion Spacecraft Architecture” Final Research Activity Report (SEPTEMBER 2012) P.I.: Alfonso G. Tarditi1 Collaborators: John H. Scott2, George H. Miley3 1Dept. of Physics, University of Houston – Clear Lake, Houston, TX 2NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 3University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL Executive Summary - Motivation This study was developed because the recognized need of defining of a new spacecraft architecture suitable for aneutronic fusion and featuring game-changing space travel capabilities. The core of this architecture is the definition of a new kind of fusion-based space propulsion system. This research is not about exploring a new fusion energy concept, it actually assumes the availability of an aneutronic fusion energy reactor. The focus is on providing the best (most efficient) utilization of fusion energy for propulsion purposes. The rationale is that without a proper architecture design even the utilization of a fusion reactor as a prime energy source for spacecraft propulsion is not going to provide the required performances for achieving a substantial change of current space travel capabilities. - Highlights of Research Results This NIAC Phase I study provided led to several findings that provide the foundation for further research leading to a higher TRL: first a quantitative analysis of the intrinsic limitations of a propulsion system that utilizes aneutronic fusion products directly as the exhaust jet for achieving propulsion was carried on. Then, as a natural continuation, a new beam conditioning process for the fusion products was devised to produce an exhaust jet with the required characteristics (both thrust and specific impulse) for the optimal propulsion performances (in essence, an energy-to-thrust direct conversion). -
Fission and Fusion Can Yield Energy
Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy can also be separated into 2 separate forms: nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the splitting of large atomic nuclei into smaller elements releasing energy, and nuclear fusion is the joining of two small atomic nuclei into a larger element and in the process releasing energy. The mass of a nucleus is always less than the sum of the individual masses of the protons and neutrons which constitute it. The difference is a measure of the nuclear binding energy which holds the nucleus together (Figure 1). As figures 1 and 2 below show, the energy yield from nuclear fusion is much greater than nuclear fission. Figure 1 2 Nuclear binding energy = ∆mc For the alpha particle ∆m= 0.0304 u which gives a binding energy of 28.3 MeV. (Figure from: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/nucbin.html ) Fission and fusion can yield energy Figure 2 (Figure from: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/nucbin.html) Nuclear fission When a neutron is fired at a uranium-235 nucleus, the nucleus captures the neutron. It then splits into two lighter elements and throws off two or three new neutrons (the number of ejected neutrons depends on how the U-235 atom happens to split). The two new atoms then emit gamma radiation as they settle into their new states. (John R. Huizenga, "Nuclear fission", in AccessScience@McGraw-Hill, http://proxy.library.upenn.edu:3725) There are three things about this induced fission process that make it especially interesting: 1) The probability of a U-235 atom capturing a neutron as it passes by is fairly high. -
RTM Perspectives June 27, 2016
Fusion Finally Coming of Age? Manny Frishberg, Contributing Editor RTM Perspectives June 27, 2016 Harnessing nuclear fusion, the force that powers the sun, has been a pipe dream since the first hydrogen bombs were exploded. Fusion promises unlimited clean energy, but the reality has hovered just out of reach, 20 years away, scientists have said for more than six decades—until now. Researchers at Lawrence Livermore Labs, the University of Washington, and private companies like Lockheed Martin and Canada’s General Fusion now foresee the advent of viable, economical fusion energy in as little as 10 years. Powered by new developments in materials, control systems, and other technologies, new reactor designs are testing old theories and finding new ways to create stable, sustainable reactions. Nuclear power plants create energy by breaking apart uranium and plutonium atoms; by contrast, fusion plants squeeze together atoms (typically hydrogen) at temperatures of 1 to 2 million degrees C to form new, heavier elements, essentially creating a miniature star in a bottle. Achieving fusion requires confining plasma to create astronomical levels of pressure and heat. Two approaches to confining the plasma have dominated: magnetic and inertial confinement. Magnetic confinement uses the electrical conductivity of the plasma to contain it with magnetic fields. Inertial confinement fires an array of powerful lasers or particle beams at the hydrogen atoms to pressurize and superheat them. Both approaches require huge amounts of energy, and they struggle to get more energy back out of the system. Most efforts to date have relied on some form of magnetic confinement. For instance, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, being built in southern France by a coalition that includes the European Union, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States, is a tokamak reactor. -
An Overview of the HIT-SI Research Program and Its Implications for Magnetic Fusion Energy
An overview of the HIT-SI research program and its implications for magnetic fusion energy Derek Sutherland, Tom Jarboe, and The HIT-SI Research Group University of Washington 36th Annual Fusion Power Associates Meeting – Strategies to Fusion Power December 16-17, 2015, Washington, D.C. Motivation • Spheromaks configurations are attractive for fusion power applications. • Previous spheromak experiments relied on coaxial helicity injection, which precluded good confinement during sustainment. • Fully inductive, non-axisymmetric helicity injection may allow us to overcome the limitations of past spheromak experiments. • Promising experimental results and an attractive reactor vision motivate continued exploration of this possible path to fusion power. Outline • Coaxial helicity injection NSTX and SSPX • Overview of the HIT-SI experiment • Motivating experimental results • Leading theoretical explanation • Reactor vision and comparisons • Conclusions and next steps Coaxial helicity injection (CHI) has been used successfully on NSTX to aid in non-inductive startup Figures: Raman, R., et al., Nucl. Fusion 53 (2013) 073017 • Reducing the need for inductive flux swing in an ST is important due to central solenoid flux-swing limitations. • Biasing the lower divertor plates with ambient magnetic field from coil sets in NSTX allows for the injection of magnetic helicity. • A ST plasma configuration is formed via CHI that is then augmented with other current drive methods to reach desired operating point, reducing or eliminating the need for a central solenoid. • Demonstrated on HIT-II at the University of Washington and successfully scaled to NSTX. Though CHI is useful on startup in NSTX, Cowling’s theorem removes the possibility of a steady-state, axisymmetric dynamo of interest for reactor applications • Cowling* argued that it is impossible to have a steady-state axisymmetric MHD dynamo (sustain current on magnetic axis against resistive dissipation).