Energy fusion reactor

The crystal stmcture of beryUium carbide is cubic, density = 2.44 g/mL. The melting point is 2250—2400°C and the compound dissociates under vacuum at 2100°C (1). This compound is not used industhaUy, but Be2C is a potential first-waU material for fusion reactors, one on the very limited Ust of possible candidates (see Fusion energy). 

In addition, the copper industry s market development activities have resulted in appHcations such as clad ship hulls, sheathing for offshore platforms, automotive electrical systems including electric vehicles, improved automobde radiators, solar energy, fire sprinkler systems, parts for fusion reactors, semiconductor lead frames, shape memory alloys, and superconducting ceramics (qv) containing copper oxides. 

Schematic of a fusion reactor, assuming a generally toroidal shape of the plasma and magnetic fusion. The principles emphasized are central hot core (red) at 100 million degrees, blanket and heat exchanger, shield, energy conversion, and the handling of D, T, and the "ash" He.

One possible way to achieve nuclear fusion is to use magnetic fields to confine the reactant nuclei and prevent them from touching the walls of the container, where they would quickly slow down below the velocity required for fusion. Using 400-ton magnets, it is possible to sustain the reaction for a fraction of a second. To achieve a net evolution of energy, this time must be extended to about one second. A practical fusion reactor would have to produce 20 times as much energy as it consumes. Optimists predict that this goal may be reached in 50 years. 

What are the opportunities for using forms of energy that do not lead to CO2 formation Nuclear power from fission reactors presents problems with the handling and deposition of nuclear waste. Fusion reactors are more appealing, but may need several decades of further development. However, solar and wind energy offer realistic alternatives. 

Fusion power, noble gases and, 17 375 Fusion process, 9 278 10 361-364, 365 Fusion reactors, vanadium in, 25 526 FutureGen Program (Department of Energy), 13 845 Fuzzy logic control, 20 698-699 Fuzzy rules, 20 699 F values, 13 252... 

High-temperature nuclear-fusion reactors may some day be practical as renewable sources of energy for hydrogen production, but they are most likely many years away. Typically, over 100 million degrees F temperatures are required for nuclear fusion to occur and this technology, while under development, is not expected to be commercially viable in the near future. 

The basic fuel in a fusion reactor is deuterium, a heavy form of hydrogen found in water. One out of every 6,500 molecules of ordinary water contains deuterium. It costs about 10 cents to separate the deuterium from a gallon of ordinary water. One teaspoon of deuterium has the energy equivalent of 300 gallons of gasoline and 1,000 pounds of deuterium... 

A potential major source of energy for the mid- to late-21st century is nuclear fusion. In todays experimental fusion reactors, deuterium and tritium atoms (both isotopes of hydrogen) fuse to create helium and fast-flying neutrons. The neutrons escape from the reaction chamber, carrying with them vast amounts of kinetic energy. 

Fusion energy offers a number of advantages over all other energy sources, including fission. Fusion reactors do not produce air pollutants that contribute to global warming or acid rain. The deuterium fuel they use is available in essentially unlimited supply from seawater, and tritium can be generated on-site as... 

The fact that neutrons can be absorbed by nuclei without overcoming a threshold (1 = 0 or s-wave reactions) makes neutrons extremely effective nuclear reactants. Neutron-induced reactions are the energy source for present-day commercial nuclear power (fission reactors) while charged-particle-induced reactions remain under study as power sources (fusion reactors). In this chapter we will consider the general features of nuclear fission reactors, following by the general features... 

Thus, the D-T-Li fuel cycle is, in spite of its drawbacks, the most likely one to be used in the first fusion reactors. It fulfills the requirement of being an inexhaustible energy source since the available lithium resources which represent the limiting factor should be sufficient to meet the future world energy demands for thousands of years5). 

The implication of these results to a fusion reactor is that part of the ions leaving the plasma are directly backscattered from the first wall into the plasma as neutrals with energies up to near the incident energy. They may penetrate deep into the plasma and create more energetic charge exchange particles from the plasma than those neutrals released with thermal energy from the first wall. 

Fusion Reactor Design II. Progress Summary, Conclusions and Prognosis on Fusion Reactors Second IAEA Technical Committee Meeting and Workshop Conn, R, W., Frank, T, G., Hancox, R., et al., Madison Univ. of Wisconsin October 1977. Vienna Int. Atomic Energy Agency 1978... 

---