Cost Effective Steps to Fusion Power: IFE Target Fabrication, Injection and Tracking

This paper was prepared for the Fusion Power Associates workshop on Cost Effective Steps to Fusion Power, 25–27 January 1999, and summarizes the role of IFE target fabrication, injection and tracking must play in pursuing a cost effective development program for inertial fusion energy that will lead to a cost effective fusion power plant.     

Complexity And Availability for Fusion Power Plants: The Potential Advantages of Inertial Fusion Energy

Probably the single largest advantage of the inertial route to fusion energy (IFE) is the perception that its power plant embodiments could achieve acceptable capacity factors. This is a result of its relative simplicity, the decoupling of the driver and reactor chamber, and the potential to employ thick liquid walls. We examine these issues in terms of the complexity, reliability, maintainability and, therefore, availability of both magnetic and inertial fusion power plants and compare these factors with corresponding scheduled and unscheduled outage data from present day fission experience. We stress that, given the simple nature of a fission core, the vast majority of unplanned outages in fission plants are due to failures outside the reactor vessel itself. Given we must be prepared for similar outages in the analogous plant external to a fusion power core, this puts severe demands on the reliability required of the fusion core itself. We indicate that such requirements can probably be met for IFE plants. We recommend that this advantage be promoted by performing a quantitative reliability and availability study for a representative IFE power plant and suggest that databases are probably adequate for this task.     

Neutron and gamma ray heating in the grazing incident liquid metal mirrors for laser inertial fusion energy power plants

A thin film of liquid metal can serve as final optics of a laser inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plant. Calculations of pulsed neutron and gamma-ray heating are presented for a grazing incident liquid metal mirror (GILMM) used for robust final optics of a laser IFE power plant. Different liquid films (Li, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ga, Ag, Au, Pb, Bi and Flibe “Li₂BeF₄”) are considered at a distance of 30 m from a nominal 1 GJ fusion source as well as different substrate materials (SS-304 and SiC). The effect of neutron heating both in the liquid metal film as well as in the subsrate material will be by around three to four orders of magnitude lower than the laser heating limit. Hence the nuclear heating will not be a limiting factor for grazing incident liquid metal mirror (GILMM) of a laser IFE power plant.     

Evolution of the ITER program and prospect for the next-step fusion DEMO reactors: status of the fusion energy R&D as ultimate source of energy

An international joint project of fusion experimental reactor, the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), is reviewed in view of long-range fusion energy research and development (R&D). Its purpose, goal, evolution, and the present construction status are briefly reviewed. While the ITER is a core machine in the present stage, generation of electricity is a role of the next-step fusion demonstration power plant “DEMO.” The status of designs and technology R&D for DEMO are also reviewed.     

Lessons learnt from ITER safety & licensing for DEMO and future nuclear fusion facilities

One of the strong motivations for pursuing the development of fusion energy is its potentially low environmental impact and very good safety performance. But this safety and environmental potential can only be fully realized by careful design choices. For DEMO and other fusion facilities that will require nuclear licensing, S&E objectives and criteria should be set at an early stage and taken into account when choosing basic design options and throughout the design process.Studies in recent decades of the safety of fusion power plant concepts give a useful basis on which to build the S&E approach and to assess the impact of design choices. The experience of licensing ITER is of particular value, even though there are some important differences between ITER and DEMO. The ITER project has developed a safety case, produced a preliminary safety report and had it examined by the French nuclear safety authorities, leading to the licence to construct the facility. The key technical issues that arose during this process are recalled, particularly those that may also have an impact on DEMO safety. These include issues related to postulated accident scenarios, environmental releases during operation, occupational radiation exposure, and radioactive waste.     

Effect of multi-shot X-ray exposures in IFE armor materials

As part of the High Average Power Laser (HAPL) program the performance of tungsten as an armor material is being studied. While the armor would be exposed to neutrons, X-rays and ions within an inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plant, the thermomechanical effects are believed to dominate. Using a pulsed X-ray source, long-term exposures of tungsten have been completed at fluences that are of interest for the IFE application. Modeling is used in conjunction with experiments on the XAPPER X-ray damage facility in an effort to recreate the effects that would be expected in an operating IFE power plant. X-ray exposures have been completed for a variety of X-ray fluences and number of shots. Analysis of the samples suggests that surface roughening has a threshold that is very close to the fluences that reproduce the peak temperatures expected in an IFE armor material.     

The Rationale for an Expanded Inertial Fusion Energy Program

The rationale for an expanded effort on the development of inertial fusion as an energy source is discussed. It is argued that there should be a two-pronged, complementary approach to fusion energy development over the next two to three decades: (1) Magnetic Fusion (MFE) via ITER and the supporting magnetic domestic program and (2) Inertial Fusion (IFE), a credible, affordable approach that exploits unique US strengths and current world leadership. IFE is only a few years away from demonstration of single-shot ignition and fusion energy gain via NIF. Enhanced funding for IFE R&D is needed in the near-term in order to prepare to expeditiously proceed beyond NIF to the energy application of inertial fusion.     

Deliberately small reactors and the second nuclear era

Smaller sized nuclear reactors were instrumental during the pioneering days of commercial nuclear power to facilitate the development and demonstration of early reactor technologies and to establish operational experience for the fledgling nuclear power industry. As the U.S. embarks on its “second nuclear era,” the question becomes: Will smaller sized plants have a significant role in meeting the nation's needs for electricity and other energy demands? A brief review of our nuclear history is presented relative to plant size considerations, followed by a review of several commonly cited benefits of small reactors. Several “deliberately small” designs currently being developed in the U.S. are briefly described, as well as some of the technical and institutional challenges faced by these designs. Deliberately small reactors offer substantial benefits in safety, security, operational flexibilities and economics, and they are well positioned to figure prominently in the second nuclear era.     

Perspectives on Magnetized Target Fusion Power Plants

One approach to Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) builds upon the ongoing experimental effort (FRX-L) to generate a Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) target plasma suitable for translation and cylindrical-liner (i.e., converging flux conserver) implosion. Numerical modeling is underway to elucidate key performance drivers for possible future power-plant extrapolations. The fusion gain, Q (ratio of DT fusion yield to the sum of initial liner kinetic energy plus plasma formation energy), sets the power-plant duty cycle for a nominal design electric power [e.g. 1,000 MWe(net)]. A pulsed MTF power plant of this type derives from the historic Fast Liner Reactor (FLR) concept and shares attributes with the recent Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) Z-pinch and laser-driven pellet HYLIFE-II conceptual designs. Work supported by the Office of Science, OFES, through Los Alamos National Laboratory, under DOE contract W-7405-ENG-36.     

Inertial fusion energy development beyond 2000

Conclusions Ultimately, of course, a prototype power plant will be built at a power level appropriate for planned future commercial operations. This could use the same ETF/ DPP driver or a new one tailored to the plant size and with less experimental flexibility than the ETF driver. With the experience and data gained from a number of small demonstration reactors, and from the operation of the ETF/DPP driver and target factory, it is quite likely that a variety of plant sizes options will be available at that time.The scenario explored here is a relatively low-cost development program for fusion energy, which encourages technology transfer to American industry at an early stage. If the government builds an ETF driver, target factory, a single-shot experiment area, and a burst mode facility, commercial companies may be interested in building their own small demonstration reactors which would be supported by the government facilities. The fact that the ETF and any number of DPPs could be supported by the same driver and target factory means that the incremental cost of trying many alternatives is small. The fact that IFE demonstration reactors can test all relevant parameters at low power means that IFE has no extremely high-cost (multi-billion dollar) development facility to build in order to demonstrate engineering feasibility, i.e., there is no large development hurdle to surmount. We can, indeed, start small and work our way larger as the results justify. The result of this approach may produce competitive IFE power plant designs from a few to a few thousand megawatts.     

Proposal of an MFE-IFE cooperative system for a steady-state tritium balance

A new concept of a fusion reactor system, MFE-IFE cooperative system, is proposed. This concept combines the merits of a small-size MFE reactor and a dry-wall IFE reactor and aims at sufficient amount of tritium production and electricity generation without advanced technology. Design window analysis shows a NIF-scale (5 m chamber radius) dry-wall laser fusion reactor with a ～1 GWth fusion output and net tritium breeding ratio (TBR) of 1.74 can sustain an MFE power plant with a fusion power of 3 GWth and net TBR of 0.96. Although more detailed quantitative analyses are required, this concept can be a possible solution for a simultaneous achievement of tritium self-sufficiency and significant net electricity generation.     

Plant life management and modernisation: Research challenges in the EU

The European network of excellence NULIFE (nuclear plant life prediction) has been launched with a clear focus on integrating safety-oriented research on materials, structures and systems and exploiting the results of this integration through the production of harmonised lifetime assessment methods. NULIFE will help provide a better common understanding of the factors affecting the lifetime of nuclear power plants which, together with associated management methods, will help facilitate safe and economic long-term operation of existing nuclear power plants. In addition, NULIFE will help in the development of design criteria for future generations of nuclear power plant.NULIFE was kicked-off in October 2006 and will work over a 5-year period to create a single organization structure, capable of providing harmonised research and development (R&D) at European level to the nuclear power industry and the related safety authorities. Led by VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland), the project has a total budget in excess of 8 million euros, with over 40 partners drawn from leading research institutions, technical support organizations, electric power utilities and manufacturers throughout Europe. NULIFE also involves many industrial organizations and, in addition to their R&D contributions, these take part in a dedicated End User Group.Over the last 15 years the European Commission has sponsored a significant number of R&D projects under the Euratom Framework Programme and its Joint Research Centre has developed co-operative European Networks for mutual benefits on specific topics related to plant life management. However, their overall impact has been reduced due to fragmentation. These networks are considered forerunners to NULIFE. The importance of the long-term operation of the plants has been recognized at European level, in the strategic research agenda of SNETP (Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform). In NULIFE, the joint EU-wide coordinated research strategy for plant life integrity management and long-term operation has been defined.Mapping exercise of expertises performed under NULIFE confirmed that NULIFE R&D resources are versatile and high quality. In addition to the wide range of technical expertise available, these are widely spread at geographical and organizational level. Four expert groups, with identified members and links to national programmes, have now produced state-of-the-art type reports related to their expertises. Stress corrosion cracking and thermal fatigue pilot projects have finished concluding reports. Several project proposals have been introduced and optimised for new NULIFE pilot projects or other R&D projects.Based on NULIFE business plan, the discussion of long-term business plan, operational model and statute of the future NULIFE institute has been started. NULIFE maintains the sustainability of nuclear power by focusing on the continued, 60+ years of safe operation of nuclear power plants.     

SEAL Studies of Variant Blanket Concepts and Materials

Within the European SEAL (Safety and Environmental Assessment of fusion power, Long-term) program, safety and environmental assessments have been performed which extend the results of the earlier SEAFP (Safety and Environmental Assessment of Fusion Power) program to a wider range of blanket designs and material choices. The four blanket designs analysed were those which had been developed within the Blanket program of the European Fusion Programme. All four are based on martensitic steel as structural material, and otherwise may be summarized as: water-cooled lithium–lead; dual-cooled lithium–lead; helium-cooled lithium silicate (BOT geometry); helium-cooled lithium aluminate (or zirconate) (BIT geometry). The results reveal that all the blankets show the favorable S&E characteristics of fusion, though there are interesting and significant differences between them. The key results are described. Assessments have also been performed of a wider range of materials than was considered in SEAFP. These were: an alternative vanadium alloy, an alternative low-activation martensitic steel, titanium–aluminum intermetallic, and SiC composite. Assessed impurities were included in the compositions, and these had very important effects upon some of the results. Key results impacting upon accident characteristics, recycling, and waste management are described.     

Overview of Safety and Environmental Issues for Inertial Fusion Energy

This paper summarizes safety and environmental issues of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE): inventories, effluents, maintenance, accident safety, waste management, and recycling. The fusion confinement approach among inertial and magnetic options affects how the fusion reaction is maintained and which materials surround the reaction chamber. The target fill technology has a major impact on the target factory tritium inventory. IFE fusion reaction chambers usually employ some means to protect the first structural wall from fusion pulses. This protective fluid or granular bed also moderates and absorbs most neutrons before they reach the first structural wall. Although the protective fluid activates, most candidate fluids have low activation hazard. Hands-on maintenance seems practical for the driver, target factory, and secondary coolant systems; remote maintenance is likely required for the reaction chamber, primary coolant, and vacuum exhaust cleanup systems. The driver and fuel target facility are well separated from the main reaction chamber.     

Study on (n,t) Reactions of Zr, Nb and Ta Nuclei

The world faces serious energy shortages in the near future. To meet the world energy demand, the nuclear fusion with safety, environmentally acceptability and economic is the best suited. Fusion is attractive as an energy source because of the virtually inexhaustible supply of fuel, the promise of minimal adverse environmental impact, and its inherent safety. Fusion will not produce CO₂ or SO₂ and thus will not contribute to global warming or acid rain. Furthermore, there are not radioactive nuclear waste problems in the fusion reactors. Although there have been significant research and development studies on the inertial and magnetic fusion reactor technology, there is still a long way to go to penetrate commercial fusion reactors to the energy market. Because, tritium self-sufficiency must be maintained for a commercial power plant. For self-sustaining (D-T) fusion driver tritium breeding ratio should be greater than 1.05. And also, the success of fusion power system is dependent on performance of the first wall, blanket or divertor systems. So, the performance of structural materials for fusion power systems, understanding nuclear properties systematic and working out of (n,t) reaction cross sections are very important. Zirconium (Zr), Niobium (Nb) and Tantal (Ta) containing alloys are important structural materials for fusion reactors, accelerator-driven systems, and many other fields. In this study, (n,t) reactions for some structural fusion materials such as ^{88,90,92,94,96}Zr, ^93,94,95Nb and ^179,181Ta have been investigated. The calculated results are discussed andcompared with the experimental data taken from the literature.     

Inertial fusion commercial power plants

This presentation discusses the motivation for inertial fusion energy, a brief synopsis of five recently-completed inertial fusion power plant designs, some general conclusions drawn from these studies, and an exmaple of an IEE hydrogen synfuel plant to suggest that future fusion studies consider broadening fusion use to low-emission fuels production as well as electricity.     

Toward the ultimate goal of tritium self-sufficiency: Technical issues and requirements imposed on ARIES advanced power plants

Due to the lack of external tritium sources, all fusion power plants must demonstrate a closed tritium fuel cycle. The tritium breeding ratio (TBR) must exceed unity by a certain margin. The key question is: how large is this margin and how high should the calculated TBR be? The TBR requirement is design and breeder-dependent and evolves with time. At present, the ARIES requirement is 1.1 for the calculated overall TBR of LiPb systems. The Net TBR during plant operation could be around 1.01. The difference accounts for deficiencies in the design elements (nuclear data evaluation, neutronics code validation, and 3D modeling tools). Such a low Net TBR of 1.01 is potentially achievable in advanced designs employing advanced physics and technology. A dedicated R&D effort will reduce the difference between the calculated TBR and Net TBR. A generic breeding issue encountered in all fusion designs is whether any fusion design will over-breed or under-breed during plant operation. To achieve the required Net TBR with sufficient precision, an online control of tritium breeding is highly recommended for all fusion designs. This can easily be achieved for liquid breeders through online adjustment of Li enrichment.     

Optimizing the overall configuration of a He-cooled W-alloy divertor for a power plant

A number of different He-cooled divertor configurations have been proposed for magnetic fusion energy (MFE) power plant application. They range in scale from a plate configuration with characteristic dimension of the order of 1 m, to the ARIES-CS T-tube configuration with characteristic dimension of the order of 10 cm, to the EU FZK finger concept with characteristic dimension of the order of 1.5 cm. All these designs utilize tungsten or tungsten alloy as structural material. This paper considers the characteristics of the different divertor configurations and proposes the possibility of optimizing the design by combining different configurations in an integrated design based on the anticipated divertor heat flux profile.     

Gyrotrons for ECH applications

Gyrotron oscillators have served as effective sources for electron cyclotron heating (ECH) applications in the area of magnetic confinement fusion. Successful development programs at frequencies at 28 GHz, 60 GHz, and 140 GHZ, have led to the availability of wide-range gyrotron sources with high-average-power capabilities. Since 1975, over 100 pulsed and CW gyrotrons with typical power levels of 200 kW at frequencies ranging from 28–106 GHz have been used by various fusion laboratories. Present development activity is aimed at providing sources that will generate power levels up to 1 MW CW at frequencies in the range 100–140 GHz for the ECH experiments that are currently being planned. Initial experimental efforts in this area have verified many of the concepts to be employed in forthcoming 1-MW CW test vehicles. Source requirements, that are even more formidable, are foreseen for the next generation magnetic fusion facilities. Frequencies ranging from 200–300 GHz with power generation capabilities of 1–2 MW CW per tube are being considered for these future applications. To this end, various gyrotron designs have been conceived that address these demanding specifications.     

2002 Fusion Summer Study Executive Summary

The 2002 Fusion Summer Study was conducted July 8–19, 2002, in Snowmass, CO, and carried out a critical assessment of major next steps in the fusion energy sciences program in both magnetic fusion energy (MFE) and inertial fusion energy (IFE). The conclusions of this study were based on analysis led by over 60 conveners working with hundreds of members of the fusion energy sciences community extending over eight months. This effort culminated in two weeks of intense discussion by over 250 U.S. and 30 foreign fusion physicists and engineers present at the 2002 Fusion Summer Study. This is the Executive Summary of the study report. Details are posted at http://web.gat.com/snowmass