Controlled thermonuclear fusion at the beginning of a new era

Fusion research has come to a stage at which the newly designed International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) can be build - a machine which will demonstrate the feasibility of generating a significant surplus of energy with a thermonuclear plasma. This machine shall provide the last step towards the first fusion power plant, the construction of which could start in about two decades and would open to mankind the elements deuterium and lithium as a new safe and clean primary energy source. This paper describes the success story of the tokamak-concept of magnetic confinement on which ITER is based. But it also discusses the ongoing research which concentrates on the most critical problems to be solved for the power plant beyond ITER for which a continuously and efficiently operating fusion reactor is required.     

CFETR水冷陶瓷增殖剂包层中子学分析

基于中国聚变工程实验堆(CFETR)水冷陶瓷增殖剂(WCCB)三维中子学模型,应用蒙特卡罗输运程序MCNP5和IAEA聚变评价核数据库FENDL2.1,完成了WCCB中子学性能分析。研究了在200MW、500MW、1.0GW、1.5GW聚变功率下中子壁载荷(NWL)、氚增殖率(TBR)、核热沉积以及包层材料的辐照损伤。结果显示,目前WCCB包层核分析结果满足CFETR设计要求。     

美国激光惯性约束聚变能源研究综述

简要地介绍了美国激光惯性约束聚变能源( LIFE ) 的研究现状与发展前景。基于美国国家点火装置( NIF ) 的近期进展,美国利弗莫尔实验室提出了激光惯性约束聚变能源设想,并开始了分解研究。设想用新型二极管泵浦固体激光器产生1.4~2.0 MJ 的激光能量,靶丸聚变增益25~30,打靶频率10~15Hz,实现350~500 MW聚变功率,相当于聚变中子源强1.3×1020 ~1.8×1020 n/s。以此驱动次临界裂变包层,使能量再倍增4~10 倍,实现1 GW电功率的输出。采用创新设计的燃料元件,包层可达到90%以上的燃耗深度,形成一个安全、无碳、燃料资源丰富、核废料少、可持续发展的新型核能源系统。In this paper the present study situation and prospect of the American laser-based Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy ( LIFE ) are briefly introduced. It is based on recent progress of National Inertial Facility ( NIF ) and related research have begun. On the assumption of using laser energy of 1.4 to 2.0 MJ, the target fusion gain G=25~30, the repetition rate 10 to 15 Hz, the fusion power of 350 to 500 MW or neutron source power of 1.3×1020 to 1.8×1020 n/s could be achieved. For a sub-critical fission blanket driven by this fusion neutrons power, energy multiplication M of 4~10 and several GW of thermal power could be obtained. By novel design on fuel pins, burnup more than 90% would be achieved for heavy metals in the blanket. Inertial Confinement Fusion-fission energy is a promising concept, which characterized by inherent safety, richness in nuclear fuel resources, minimization of nuclear waste, non-CO2 emitting ,and it is a sustainable energy source.     

受控热核聚变发展现况

核聚变动力的应用将提供几乎是无限、清洁的新一代能源．当前已经看到受控热核聚变的科学可能性,在利用核聚变生产动力之前,还要解决其工艺技术可行性及经济竞争能力等问题．聚变裂变混合堆是改善其经济性和减少工艺技术难点的方向之一,还可创造一个核能利用的有效途径． An almost limitless and clean source of energy for future generation should be provided by the successful use of nuclear fusion for generating power.At present the scien-tific feasibility of controlled nuclear fusion is visible and before fusion can be harnessed for generating power,it will be necessary to develop suitable technology and to prove economic viability.The fusion-fission hybrid reactor is one way to improve the economy and to reduce the technological difflculties...     

Recent results and future prospects of laser fusion research at ILE, Osaka

Reviewed are the present status of the fast ignition researches. Since 1997, the fast ignition experiment and theory researches have been extensively continued at the Institute of Laser Engineering of Osaka University. In particular, the cone-shell target experiments and simulation research have been progressing. In order to demonstrate heating of imploded high density plasma to the ignition temperature, in the April of 2003, the construction of heating laser of 10 kJ/10 ps/1.06 μm (Laser for Fusion Experiment; LFEX), for FIREX-I (Fast Ignition Realization Experiment) has started. The fabrication of DT foam cryogenic cone target is also under development as a collaboration program between Osaka University and NIFS (National Institute for Fusion Science). The LFEX will be completed in 2008. After the completion of LFEX, the foam cryogenic cone shell target experiment will start in 2008. As a new approach toward a compact ignition, an impact fusion has been proposed, where the ablative acceleration to the order of 10⁸ cm/s is the key issue. The ablation acceleration related to the impact fusion has been explored by experiments.     

国际热核聚变实验堆(ITER)计划

聚变能目前是认识到的可以最终解决人类能源和环境问题的最重要的途径之一，经过许多科学工作者半个多世纪的努力，磁约束聚变研究取得了重大的进展，集成当今国际受控磁约束核聚变研究的主要科学和技术成果，合作建立与未来实用聚变堆规模相比拟的受控热核聚变实验堆ITER(international thermonuclear experimental reactor)，成为国际上大家的共识，文章就ITER及相关的情况进行一些介绍。     

CFETR 水冷陶瓷包层时间相关产氚特性初步分析

水冷陶瓷包层是中国聚变工程实验堆(CFETR)的三种候选包层概念之一。基于CFETR水冷陶瓷包层的一维中子学模型,通过蒙特卡罗输运模拟程序MCNP和活化计算程序FISPACT的耦合计算,经三维转换系数修正,分析了CFETR水冷陶瓷包层时间相关产氚特性。结果表明,当CFETR运行因子为0.5,聚变功率为200MW时,水冷陶瓷包层在运行5年、10年、20年后,氚增殖率(TBR)的降低都不显著,但是年产氚剩余量的降低很明显。此外,产氚包层内初始时刻TBR对产氚特性的影响也很大。     

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水冷陶瓷包层是中国聚变工程实验堆(CFETR)的三种候选包层概念之一。基于CFETR水冷陶瓷包层的一维中子学模型,通过蒙特卡罗输运模拟程序MCNP和活化计算程序FISPACT的耦合计算,经三维转换系数修正,分析了CFETR水冷陶瓷包层时间相关产氚特性。结果表明,当CFETR运行因子为0.5,聚变功率为200MW时,水冷陶瓷包层在运行5年、10年、20年后,氚增殖率(TBR)的降低都不显著,但是年产氚剩余量的降低很明显。此外,产氚包层内初始时刻TBR对产氚特性的影响也很大。     

Activation Characteristics of Fuel Breeding Blanket Module in Fusion Driven Subcritical System

Shortage of energy resources and production of long-lived radioactivity wastes from fission reactors are among the main problems which will be faced in the world in the near future. The conceptual design of a fusion driven subcritical system (FDS) is underway in Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. There are alternative designs for multi-functional blanket modules of the FDS, such as fuel breeding blanket module (FBB) to produce fuels for fission reactors, tritium breeding blanket module to produce the fuel, i.e. tritium, for fusion reactor and waste transmutation blanket module to try to permanently dispose of long-lived radioactivity wastes from fission reactors, etc. Activation of the fuel breeding blanket of the fusion driven subcritical system (FDSFBB) by D-T fusion neutrons from the plasma and fission neutrons from the hybrid blanket are calculated and analysed under the neutron wall loading 0.5 MW/m2 and neutron fluence 15 MW.yr/m2. The neutron spectrum is calculated with the worldwide-used transport code MCNP/4C and activation calculations are carried out with the well known European inventory code FISPACT/99 with the latest released IAEA Fusion Evaluated Nuclear Data Library FENDL-2.0 and the ENDF/B-V uranium evaluated data. Induced radioactivities, dose rates and afterheats, etc, for different components of the FDS-FBB are compared and analysed.     

Long-pulse operation at constant output power and single-frequency mode of a high-power electrostatic free-electron maser with depressed collector

The Fusion Free-Electron Maser (FFF) is the prototype of a high-power, tunable source of mm-wave radiation, for use on fusion plasma devices. In previous experiments a net output power of 730 kW at 206 GHz was generated in short pulses. The present experiment has been equipped with a system to recover the charge and energy of the spent electron beam. We present experimental results which show output of mm-wave radiation at constant power level during the full pulse length, as well as single-frequency operation; even though the cavity is highly overmoded; the latter is reached by effective suppression of spurious modes by the feedback system.     

A ceramics-free waveguide for ITER ion cyclotron wave system

A ceramics-free waveguide for the high-power International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor ion cyclotron (ITER IC) system (15-80 MHz), which is a TEM waveguide supported mechanically by T-shaped ridged waveguides, is proposed. The transmission-line theory shows that this waveguide has power handling capability of more than 3 MW, where an optimized antenna impedance is used for the ITER plasma parameters. The transmission line model used for the analysis is verified by the experiments on a one-tenth scale model     

磁化套筒惯性聚变研究进展

磁化套筒惯性聚变(MagLIF)是一种新的聚变构型,它结合了传统惯性约束聚变和磁约束聚变的优点,理论上可以显著地降低聚变实现的难度,未来必将朝着点火的目标进一步发展,具备极大的应用潜力。针对这一特殊构型,分别从理论、实验和工程三个部分介绍了国际上该领域主要的研究进展,内容覆盖理论研究、数值模拟、实验加载、测量与诊断、负载设计与加工、分解实验、构型改进等多个方面,通过该文能够对该领域的研究现状有相对完善的了解,对未来发展趋势也有一定的认知。     

ITER 试验包层模块活化计算与环境安全分析

运用聚变堆放射性计算程序FDKR 和衰变链数据库AFDC-DLIB, 计算了ITER 中国氦冷固态增殖试验包层模块设计中活化产物的放射性、衰变余热和潜在生物危害因子BHP 值。计算结果表明: 对于试验包层模块来说, 在500MW 聚变功率下运行一年, 停堆时的总放射性、余热和BHP 值分别为2. 10× 10¹⁶B_q 、5. 06 × 10^{- 3}MW 和 68. 6km³•( kW) ^{- 1}。结果表明: 中国氦冷实验包层模块不存在突出的安全问题。     

Short-pulse Calorimetric Load for High Power Millimeter-wave Beams

A spherical compact matched load, for high vacuum operation suited for short pulses (2 MW, 0.1 s) precise measurement has been designed to test high power gyrotrons Bruschi, Gandini, Muzzini, Spinicchia, Cirant, Gittini, Granucci, Mellera, Nardone, Simonetto, and Sozzi (Fusion Eng. Des. 56–57:649–654, 2001); Bruschi, Cirant, Gandini, Granucci, Mellera, Muzzini, Nardone, Simonetto, Sozzi, and Spinicchia (Nucl. Fusion 43:1513–1519, 2003); Bruschi, Cirant, Gandini, Gittini, Granucci, Mellera, Muzzini, Nardone, Simonetto, Sozzi, Spinicchia, Angella, and Signorelli (Development of CW and short-pulse calorimetric loads for high power millimeter-wave Beams, 23rd Symposium on Fusion Technology, September 20–24, 2004, Venice, Italy). In order to enhance the power handling capability of the load and to reduce the operation problems that may arise from an excessive reflection from the load, a ray tracing code has been written to model the power distribution on the inner surface and the pattern of the reflected radiation. The outcome of this code has been used to select a more convenient profile for the spreading mirror of the load and to optimize a pre-load specially conceived to minimize the power reflected fraction.     

Concept of Plasma Heating and Current Drive Neutral Beam System for Fusion Neutron Source DEMO-FNS

Steady-state operation of a fusion neutron source (FNS) requires plasma heating and current drive by means of additional power delivered by neutral beams. Six neutral beam injectors (NBI) will provide the DEMO-FNS machine with additional heating power up to 30 MW, with neutral particle energy of 500 keV. NBI systems developed for ITER can serve as the prototype for DEMO-FNS, as both systems have similar ion source current, with accelerated beam power in ITER NBI (1MeV) being twice as large as in DEMOFNS. The paper describes the NBI system with account of its integration into DEMO-FNS tokamak complex.     

磁化套筒惯性聚变初步探索研究与实验可行性分析

磁化套筒惯性聚变(MagLIF)构型可充分利用现有大型脉冲功率驱动装置,如聚龙一号等。基于磁流体力学方程组和1∶1比例氘氚(DT)混合燃料聚变模型,开发了零维MagLIF数值模拟程序并进行了初步探索研究。计算结果表明初始负载参数(如轴向磁场强度,预加热温度、时刻,负载半径等)与聚变产额之间有着密切的联系,在给定条件下,可依据计算给出的定性关系进行负载优化设计。值得注意的是,根据计算结果,即使在理想条件下,氘氚燃料要实现能量收支平衡,则驱动器的电流必须大于21.2 MA。这意味着聚龙一号装置(10 MA)无法开展集成化的MagLIF实验,进一步的校验计算验证了上述观点,并在此基础上提出铝套筒分解实验的建议和负载设计参数。所取得的计算结果有利于加深对MagLIF套筒压缩阶段物理过程的认知和理解。     

The fusion of ethylene oxide polymers

Summary Calorimetric measurements by DSC technique have been made in pure polyethylene glycol (PEG) and oxide (PEO) polymers having a very wide molecular-weight range (from 600 to 4000 000) and in PEO (MW 600 000)-NaSCN complexes. It was found that the melting temperature increases with increasing molecular weight, ranging from 293 K in the polymer with MW=600 to 340 K in that with MW=4000 000. The behaviour of the heats of fusion with increasing molecular weight reflects the trend expected in systems, in which the increase of the main chain length produces a relevant growth of the degree of crystallinity. A distinct maximum of the heat of fusion has been found at about MW=10000, this result being an evidence of the high amount of crystalline regions building up the structure of that system. The dependence of the melting temperature on molecular weight has been nicely accounted for by using the expression of Flory, deduced from the statistical theory of polymers having the most probable molecular-weight distribution. The addition of sodium thiocyanate to PEO modifies the morphology of the host polymer and, for salt concentrations higher than 0.03 molar fraction, gives rise to the formation of a PEO-salt crystalline complex characterized by a high melting temperature. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994.     

Modified Woods-Saxon Potential for Heavy-Ion Fusion Reaction

A modified Woods-Saxon （MWS） potential is proposed for describing nucleus-nucleus interaction based on the Skyrme energy-density functional approach. Fusion barriers for a large number of fusion reactions from light to heavy systems can be described well with this potential. The suitable incident energies for fusion reactions leading to superheavy nuclei are also explored. It seems to us that the MWS potential is useful for selecting the suitable incident energies for fusion reactions for producing super-heavy nuclei.     

利用负载电流产生微波的新型MILO

 为了进一步提高MILO产生微波的功率和效率，提出了其负载电流能量全部利用来产生微波的新思想。设计并运用二维全电磁PIC方法模拟了基于此思想的新型MILO，它是传统MILO与VCO的有机结合(简称MVO)。模拟结果表明MVO中MILO部分与作为MILO负载的VCO部分各自工作正常，VCO部分产生微波的主频受MILO部分产生微波的牵引。在输入25GW电功率（工作电压约500kV）下，与相应传统MILO相比，MVO的微波平均输出功率提高了500MW，效率从6%提高到了8%。     

On the path to fusion energy

There is a need to develop alternate energy sources in the coming century because fossil fuels will become depleted and their use may lead to global climate change. Inertial fusion can become such an energy source, but significant progress must be made before its promise is realized. The high-density approach to inertial fusion suggested by Nuckolls et al. leads reaction chambers compatible with civilian power production. Methods to achieve the good control of hydrodynamic stability and implosion symmetry required to achieve these high fuel densities will be discussed. Fast Ignition, a technique that achieves fusion ignition by igniting fusion fuel after it is assembled, will be described along with its gain curves. Fusion costs of energy for conventional hotspot ignition will be compared with those of Fast Ignition and their capital costs compared with advanced fission plants. Finally, techniques that may improve possible Fast Ignition gains by an order of magnitude and reduce driver scales by an order of magnitude below conventional ignition requirements are described.