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A Review of the Prospects for Fusion Breeding of Fissile Material

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A Review of the Prospects for Fusion Breeding of Fissile Material < AECL-7259 ATOMIC ENERGY KS3Q L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE OF CANADA LIMITED \^^9 DU CANADA LIMITEE A REVIEW OF THE PROSPECTS FOR FUSION BREEDING OF FISSILE MATERIAL Obtention eventuelle de matieres fissiles provenant de reacteurs surgenerateurs a fusion J.S. GEIGER and G.A. BARTHOLOMEW Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories Laboratoires nucle'aires de Chalk River Chalk River, Ontario October 1981 octobre ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA LIMITED A REVIEW OF THE PROSPECTS FOR FUSION BREEDING OF FISSILE MATERIAL J.S. Geiger and G.A. Bartholomew, Editors Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories Chalk River, Ontario, KOJ 1JO 1981 October AECL-7259 L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE DU CANADA, LIMITEE Obtention éventuelle de matières fissiles provenant de réacteurs surgénérateurs à fusion J.S. Geiger et G.A. Bartholomew, Editeurs Résumé Ce rapport est le résultat d'une étude de huit mois effectuée par le groupe de l'EACL qui suit l'évolution des recherches en fusion, qui évalue la performance neutronique des divers systèmes de surgënération par fusion et qui estime les perspectives technologiques et économiques des réacteurs surgénérateurs à fusion comme source de matières fissiles pour les réacteurs CANDU fonctionnant au cycle de combustible à base de thorium. Laboratoires nucléaires de Chalk River Chalk River, Ontario, 30J 1J0 Octobre 1981 AECL-7259 ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA LIMITED A REVIEW OF THE PROSPECTS FOR FUSION BREEDING OF FISSILE MATERIAL J.S. Geiger and G.A. Bartholomew, Editors ABSTRACT This report is the result of an eight month study by the AECL Fusion Status Study Group. Ths objectives of this study were to review the current stat;is of fusion research, to evaluate the neutronic performance of various fusion-breeder systems, and to assess the economic and technological outlook for the fusion breeder as a source of fissile material to support CANDU reactors operating on the thorium fuel cycle. Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories Chalk River, Ontario, KOJ UO 1981 October AECL-7259 (i) CONTENTS Page 1. PREFACE i 2. INTRODUCTION (G.A. Bartholomew) 1 3. BASIC CONSIDERATIONS (J.5. Geiger and L.W. Funk) 5 3.1 Introduction 5 3.2 Conditions Required for Energy Generation from Fusion 7 3.3 Engineering Problems of Fusion 11 3.4 Fusion-Fission Hybrid Systems - Fissile Fuel Breeding 14 4. MAGNETIC CONFINEMENT (G.E. Lee-Whiting, C.R. Hoffmann, 17 F.C. Khanna, M.R. Shubaly, I.S. Towner and K.B. Winterbon) 4.1 Introduction 17 4.2 Mirror Fusion Devices 19 4.2.1 Simple Mirrors 19 4.2.2 Mim'mum-B Mirrors 20 4.2.-2.1 End Losses or Loss Cone 20 4.2.2.2 Instabilities 21 4.2.3 Tandem Mi rror System 22 4.2.3.1 End Cells or Plugs 23 4.2.3.2 The Central Cell 25 4.2.3.3 Thermal Barrier 26 4.2.3.4 Impurities 27 4.2.3.5 Instabilities 27 4.2.3.6 Experiments 28 4.2.4 Reactor Design 28 4.3 Tokamaks 32 4.3.1 The Tokamak Concept 32 4.3.2 Equilibrium 37 4.3.3 Stability 39 4.3.4 Particle and Energy Transport 43 4.3.5 Effects on Neutral Beams 45 4.3.6 Some Recent Experimental Results 47 4.3.7 Future Tokamak Experiments 50 4.3.8 Tokamak Reactors in General 55 4.3.9 Sjrtie Tokamak Hybrid Reactor Designs 58 4.3.9.1 Uestinghouse CTHR 58 4.3.9.2 An EPRI Tokamak 59 4.3.9.3 An Oak Ridge Symbiotic System 60 4.3.9.4 A Princeton Design 60 4.3.9.5 A Counterstreaming-Ion Tokamak Breeder 61 4.3.9.6 TORFA 62 4.3.9.7 Candidates for Economic Assessment 63 4.3.10 The Stellarator 63 (11) CONTENTS (Continued) Page 4.4 Other Magnetic-Confinement Devices 65 4.4.1 Tori 66 4.4.1.,1 ELMO Bumpy Torus 66 4.4.1. 2 Reversed Field Pinch 67 4.4.1. 3 Tormak 67 4.4.1. 4 Compact Tori 67 4.4.1. 5 Ion Ring Compressor 68 4.4.2 linear Systems 69 4.4.2. 1 Linear Theta Pinch 69 4.4.2. 2 Externally Heated Long Linear Systems S9 4.4.2. 3 Reversed-Field Mirror 70 4.4.2. 4 Dense Z-Pinch 70 4.4.3 Othar Systems 71 4.4.3. 1 Flux Compression 71 4.4.3. 2 Surface Confinement 71 4.4.4 Conclusion 71 4.5 Heating of Magnetically Confined Plasmas 72 4.5.1 Ohmic Heating 72 4.5.2 Neutral-Beam Heating 73 4.5.3 Heating by Magnetic Compression 75 4.5.4 Radiofrequency Heating 76 4.5.5 Comparison of Heating Techniques 78 4.6 Conclusions 79 5. INERTIAL CONFINEMENT - LASER BEAMS (U.S. Geiger, F.C. Khanna, 87 V.F. Sears and W. Selander) 5.1 Introduction 87 5.2 The Laser Driven Inertial Confinement Fusion Process 87 5.3 The Present Status of LICF 90 5.3.1 National Programs in LICF 90 5.3.2 Laser Facilities for LICF Studies 92 5.3.3 Experimental Status of LICF 94 5.3.4 Status of Pellet Fabrication Technology 99 5.3.5 Summary of the Present Status of LICF 100 5.4 Near-Term Outlook for LICF Studies 102 5.5 LICF Reactor Design 104 5.6 Representative Parameters for Laser Driven ICF Systems 105 5.7 Progress Status and Schedule (U.S.) 105 5.8 Concluding Remarks 107 6. INERTIAL CONFINEMENT - PARTICLE BEAMS (L.W. Funk, H.R. Andrews, HI E.D. Earle, J.A. Hulbert, and P.H.C. Lee) 6.1 Introduction 111 6.2 Common Principles 113 (111) CONTENTS (Continued) Page 6.3 Electron Beams 116 6.4 Light Ion Beams 122 6.5 Heavy Ion Beams 125 6.5.1 RF Linacs 131 6.5.2 Induction Linacs 137 6.6 Overall Assessment 139 6.7 Representative Parameters for Beam Driven ICF Systems 140 7. THE FIRST-WALL PROBLEM (D.P. Jackson) 147 7.1 Introduction 147 7.2 Mechanisms of Plasma Interaction with the Wa 1 149 7.2.1 Reflection 149 7.2.2 Reemission 150 7.2.3 Blistering 150 7.2.4 Evaporation 152 7.2.5 Sputtering 152 7.2.6 Arcing 153 7.2.7 Desorption 153 7.3 Effects of the First-Wall Behaviour on the Plasma 154 7.3.1 Recycling 155 7.3.2 Low Z Impurities 156 7.3.3 Medium to High Z Impurities 157 7.4 Summa ry 159 8. TRITIUM RECOVERY TECHNOLOGY (T.M. Holden, C.R. Hoffmann, 161 S.A. Kushneriuk and P.Y. Wong) 8.1 Introduction 161 8.2 Solid Lithium Compounds 162 8.2.1 Tightly Bound Tritium 163 8.2.2 Continuous Recovery 163 8.3 Liquid Lithium 165 8.3.1 Liquid Lithium - Molten Salt Process 165 8.3.2 Liquid Lithium Solid Yttrium Metal Getter 166 9. BREEDING BLANKET DESIGN (S.A. Kushneriuk, P.Y. Wong, 171 C.R. Hoffmann and T.M. Holden) 9.1 Introduction 171 9.2 Chalk River Blanket Evaluations 177 9.3 The Reference Breeding Blankets 181 (tv) CONTENTS (Continued) Page 10. ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT - ALLOWED CAPITAL COST 193 (C.R. Hoffmann, T.M. Holden, S.A. Kushneriuk and P.Y. Wong) 10.1 Introduction 193 10.2 Reactor Breeder Model 195 10.3 Allowed Capital Costs 200 11. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 213 (v) PREFACE This study was undertaken by the Fusion Status Study (FUSS) Group, a working group of the Physics Advanced Systems Study Committee, to assess the potential of current concepts in fusion as practical elactronuclear breeder options. As with an earlier study restricted to laser fusion (A Review of the Prospects for Laser Induced Thermonuclear Fusion, AECL-484O (1974)) the underlying objective was to establish a basis for future program direction of the AECL RC Advanced Systems program. The long term goal of that program is to keep open the option of electronuclear breeding in support of thorium advanced cycles for the CANDU reactor. While this study may impinne upon the related problem of select- ing stand-alone fusion systems suitable for Canada, no attempt is made here to identify such systems nor to address the question of what effort would be appropriate under Canada's National Fusion Program toward realization of such systems. The FUSS Membership is as follows: Members G.A. Bartholomew Study Chairman J.S. Geiger Alternate Study Chairman (vi) G.E. Lee-Whiting(C) Magnetic Confinement C.R. Hoffmann F.C. Khanna M.R. Shubaly I.S< Towner B. Uinterbon J.S. Geiger(C) Inertial Confinement, Laser F.C. Khanna V.F. Sears W. Selander L.W. Funk(C) Inertial Confinement, Particle Beams H.R. Andrews E.D. Earle J.A. Hulbert P.H.C. Lee C.R. Hoffmann(C) System Optimization and Breeding Economics T.M. Hoi den S.A. Kushneriuk P.Y. Wong Observers and Advisers G.C. Hanna G. Dolling J.S. Fraser D. McPherson JcC.D. Milton D.P. Jackson (C) - Working party chairman This study benefited from contacts which exist between members of the study group and experts in fusion, fusion breeding, and related fields. Direct consultations occurred at conferences and during visits to other laboratories. The following, scientists visited CRNL during the course of the study; A.J. Alcock A.W. Maschke M. Bachynski R. Martin R. Bol ton A.H. Morton T. Brown M.G.R. Phillips B. Gregory T. Teichmann D.L. Jassby W.B. Thompson J.D. Lee (vi 1] We are especially indebted to these people for addressing the staff on various aspects of the fusion-breeder problem and for participating in round table discussions with the FUSS group.
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