Fusion-fission hybrids for incineration and power production
- Reference number
- UKR22-0005
- Project leader
- Moiseyenko, Volodymyr
- Start and end dates
- 220501-241231
- Amount granted
- 2 000 000 SEK
- Administrative organization
- Uppsala University
- Research area
- Materials Science and Technology
Summary
The proposed study is aimed to contribute to the development of a novel approach to nuclear power generation with substantially better usage of fuel and less nuclear waste production, more safe and non-proliferation-friendly. One of the concepts in such approach is the stellarator-mirror (SM) fusion-fission hybrid which consists in the SM plasma device which serves as a fusion neutron source and a fast fission subcritical reactor. The proposed studies on the SM hybrid are focused on two specific problems. 1."Radio-frequency heating of hot minority ions. The radio-frequency heating could be a worthwhile replacement to the neutral beam injection which supplies fast ions. It is more energy effective and simplifies designs of the SM and mirror hybrids. The study breakdown is the following. •"Numerical model choice and adjusting. •"Benchmarking and testing of the code. •"Numerical results analysis and antenna choice. •"Optimization of the scenario for the radio-frequency heating of hot minority ions. 2."Fuel cycle for SM and mirror hybrid. The fuel cycle for SM and mirror hybrids is not studied yet in detail, although it is a key problem of the hybrid. The study has the following stages. •"Collecting the information on the neutron cross-sections and numerical code writing. •"Benchmarking and testing of the code. •"Numerical results analysis for the stationary regimes and start-up. •"Formulation of proposals for optimum fuel cycles for SM and mirror hybrids.
Popular science description
Current nuclear power plants rely mainly on 235U fission for power generation. The ore reserves of this uranium isotope are not large, and in long term nuclear power production must utilize 238U and 232Th, which are abundant. This situation has three implications. The first is that the large amount of spent nuclear fuel generated by the nuclear industry continues to grow. Today, the dominating option for nuclear waste management is long term geological storage to keep the waste isolated until the radionuclides have decayed to acceptable levels. However, the decay lasts thousands of centuries, which is hardly acceptable. Number two is the inevitable need for introducing a new fuel cycle to use 238U and 232Th as fuels. Both isotopes cannot be directly burned, and the first stage of these fuel cycles include breeding of 239Pu or 233U. The third implication is that 235U cannot be easily synthesized. If it is burned up completely, there will be no 235U left for future human generations. A solution for all these three implications could be a subcritical fast reactor driven by an external neutron source. Inherently safe, it can be used for burning fertile/fissile components of spent nuclear fuel, nuclear breeding and energy generation under a closed fuel cycle. The neutron source for such a reactor must be powerful and efficient. Two obvious candidates for the role of drivers of a sub-critical fast reactor are the spallation and fusion neutron sources, of which the latter are more compact, more feasible and less costly. The proposed study is aimed to contribute to the development of a novel approach to nuclear power generation with substantially better usage of fuel and less nuclear waste production, more safe and non-proliferation-friendly. One of the concepts in such approach is the stellarator-mirror (SM) fusion-fission hybrid which consists in the SM plasma device which serves as a fusion neutron source and a fast fission subcritical reactor. The proposed studies on the SM hybrid are focused on two specific problems. 1."Radio-frequency heating of hot minority ions. The radio-frequency heating could be a worthwhile replacement to the neutral beam injection which supplies fast ions. 2."Fuel cycle for SM and mirror hybrid. The fuel cycle for SM and mirror hybrids is not studied yet in detail, although it is a key problem of the hybrid functioning. The study breakdown is the following.