57 research outputs found
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EXPLORATION OF THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEUTRON IRRADIATION OF SAMPLES UNDER HIGH HYDROSTATIC PRESSURES.
Fusion and Fast Breeder Reactors
In a two year study, a team of researchers has evolved a comparison of fast fission breeders and D-T fusion reactors, as both nuclear reactors allow, at least in principle, for an essentially unlimited supply of large amounts of energy. In this report, resources for the two reactor types are briefly reviewed, and their present status is discussed in terms of scientific, engineering, and commercial feasibility. Reference reactor systems are the German/Belgian/Dutch fast breeder prototype SNR 300, a liquid-metal fast breeder reactor, and the deuterium-tritium TOKAMAK fusion reactor concept. Radioactive inventories of reactor economies are discussed in length, with emphasis on the biological hazard potential index for comparing relative hazards on pathways (inhalation, ingestion) and injuries to the human body. The safety problem involved in normal operating losses and exposure centers around releases of tritium in fusion, and around alpha-emitters, iodine-129, and krypton in fission. Design basis accidents as well as acts of war, sabotage, and hypothetical events are dealt with under non-routine releases. Safeguards are analyzed in the non-proliferation context. Materials--a problem more severe for fusion than for fission--and the impact of radiation damage are an important chapter. Reactor strategies for commercialization are evaluated in terms of timing of related programs and their funding. Great care has been taken to appropriately introduce the problem of nuclear energy and to put the conclusions in the proper perspective
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Nuclear Analysis for Near Term Fusion Devices
A Next Step Options (NSO) study was initiated to consider the logical steps that might be undertaken to restructure the U.S. Fusion Sciences Program. Most of the effort was concentrated on designing the Fusion Ignition Research Experiment (FIRE), which is in the preconceptual design phase. It utilizes 16 cryogenically cooled wedged copper TF coils with beryllium copper in the inner legs and OFHC copper in the outer legs. We provided significant contributions in the areas of neutronics, shielding and activation analyses. The design went through different changes. Early in the year 2002 the baseline design changed from a major radius of 2 m to a major radius of 2.14 m and an aspect ratio of 3.6. In addition the fusion power during the DT pulses changed from 200 MW to 150 MW. We spent significant part of the effort calculating the nuclear performance parameters for the final baseline design. While pulses producing a total of 5 TJ of DT fusion energy and 0.5 TJ of DD fusion energy were considered in the previous designs, a detailed experimental plan was developed that results in higher total fusion energy. We assessed the impact on the peak magnet insulator dose. Multi-dimensional calculations were performed also to determine the impact of plasma shape and profile on he peak radiation effects in the TF coils. We performed multi-dimensional calculations for one of the most critical diagnostics ports to assess streaming and determine the nuclear environment at the sensitive components. The radwaste level and volume was quantified for the different components of FIRE
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