B. V. Kuteev

Structural materials for fusion power reactors : the RF R&D activities

Recent progress in the RF low activation structural materials R&D road map towards DEMO via the FBR tests (BOR-60, BN-600, BN-800) and the TBM tests in ITER is overviewed. The properties of the RAFMS RUSFER-EK-181 (Fe?12Cr?2W?Ta?V?B?C) and the V?4Ti?4Cr alloys are presented. The next important steps include further studies on the influence of high dose and high-temperature irradiation on the properties of base structural materials and joints. Activation, transmutation and radiation damage of the materials in BN-600 and DEMO-RF (Kurchatov Institute project) neutron spectra are calculated. The results of the application of the internal friction (ultrasonic) non-destructive method to research the DBTT are in good agreement with the results of the destructive impact method. The important influence of boron on the heat resistance of materials and the He concentration level under irradiation are calculated. The new special regimes of the heat treatments of the alloys are suggested to widen the temperature windows of the applications. The results of the BOR-60 examinations of RUSFER-EK-181 (irradiation temperature 320?340??C and doses up to 15?dpa) are presented. The BN-600 projects for the high dose and high-temperature irradiation tests of manufactured alloys are presented.

Intense fusion neutron sources

The review describes physical principles underlying efficient production of free neutrons, up-to-date possibilities and prospects of creating fission and fusion neutron sources with intensities of 1015–1021 neutrons/s, and schemes of production and application of neutrons in fusion-fission hybrid systems. The physical processes and parameters of high-temperature plasmas are considered at which optimal conditions for producing the largest number of fusion neutrons in systems with magnetic and inertial plasma confinement are achieved. The proposed plasma methods for neutron production are compared with other methods based on fusion reactions in nonplasma media, fission reactions, spallation, and muon catalysis. At present, intense neutron fluxes are mainly used in nanotechnology, biotechnology, material science, and military and fundamental research. In the near future (10–20 years), it will be possible to apply high-power neutron sources in fusion-fission hybrid systems for producing hydrogen, electric power, and technological heat, as well as for manufacturing synthetic nuclear fuel and closing the nuclear fuel cycle. Neutron sources with intensities approaching 1020 neutrons/s may radically change the structure of power industry and considerably influence the fundamental and applied science and innovation technologies. Along with utilizing the energy produced in fusion reactions, the achievement of such high neutron intensities may stimulate wide application of subcritical fast nuclear reactors controlled by neutron sources. Superpower neutron sources will allow one to solve many problems of neutron diagnostics, monitor nano-and biological objects, and carry out radiation testing and modification of volumetric properties of materials at the industrial level. Such sources will considerably (up to 100 times) improve the accuracy of neutron physics experiments and will provide a better understanding of the structure of matter, including that of the neutron itself.

Current density profile and electron beam localization measurements using carbon pellets on T-10

The authors present experimental evidence and an analysis of two phenomena arising during carbon pellet ablation-a toroidal trajectory deflection and enhanced localized ablation in the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) current drive regime. A model developed for describing the toroidal deflection of a carbon pellet in a tokamak shows that the trajectory curvature is sensitive to the current density. Photography of the pellet trajectory is used as a diagnostic for the determination of the local current density in an ohmically heated plasma. Directly measured current profiles using pellets are in reasonable agreement with that obtained using the Spitzer conductivity, and current density fluctuations have been observed that are probably associated with magnetic islands. It is shown that in the ECR current drive regime on T-10, energetic electrons probably stimulated by the microwave power are located in a narrow zone (2 cm thickness in the radial direction) with sharp boundaries

Analytical and semianalytical solutions to the kinetic equation with Coulomb collision term and a monoenergetic source function

Analytical and semianalytical solutions have been obtained using a practical dimensionless form of Boltzmann kinetic equation assuming spatial homogeneity, azimuthal symmetry, and Maxwellian distributions of target plasma species. In contrast with formerly considered simplified equations with truncated collision terms, the exact Landau–Boltzmann collision operator is used, which conserves the number of particles, nullifies the collision term at statistical equilibrium, and describes the Maxwellization process naturally observed in correct solutions. A comparison with previous stationary and time-dependent analytical solutions is given. The new semianalytical results can be used in numerical modeling, for verification of solutions in more complex models, and in experimental data analysis, especially concerning nuclear processes and advanced localized, angle-resolved suprathermal particle diagnostics.

Conceptual analysis of a tokamak reactor with lithium dust jet

The steady-state operation of tokamak reactors requires radiating a substantial part of the fusion energy dissipated in plasma to make more uniform the heat loads onto the first wall and to reduce the erosion of the divertor plates. One of the approaches to realize this goal uses injection of lithium dust jet into the scrape-off layer (SOL). A quantitative conceptual analysis of the reactor parameters with lithium dust jet injection is presented here. The effects of the lithium on the core and SOL plasma are considered. The first results of developing the lithium jet injection technology and its application to the T-10 tokamak are also presented.

Spectroscopic diagnostics for ablation cloud of tracer-encapsulated solid pellet in LHD

In the Large Helical Device (LHD), various spectroscopic diagnostics have been applied to study the ablation process of an advanced impurity pellet, tracer-encapsulated solid pellet (TESPEL). The total light emission from the ablation cloud of TESPEL is measured by photomultipliers equipped with individual interference filters, which provide information about the TESPEL penetration depth. The spectra emitted from the TESPEL ablation cloud are measured with a 250 mm Czerny-Turner spectrometer equipped with an intensified charge coupled device detector, which is operated in the fast kinetic mode. This diagnostic allows us to evaluate the temporal evolution of the electron density in the TESPEL ablation cloud. In order to gain information about the spatial distribution of the cloud parameters, a nine image optical system that can simultaneously acquire nine images of the TESPEL ablation cloud has recently been developed. Several images of the TESPEL ablation cloud in different spectral domains will give us the spatial distribution of the TESPEL cloud density and temperature.

Studies of the impurity pellet ablation in the high-temperature plasma of magnetic confinement devices

The ablation of impurity pellets in tokamak and stellarator plasmas is investigated. Different mechanisms for shielding the heat fluxes from the surrounding plasma to the pellet surface are discussed. A model for impurity pellet ablation is developed that can account for both neutral and electrostatic shielding. It is shown that the experimental values of the impurity pellet ablation rate are well described by the neutral gas shielding model over a wide range of plasma temperatures and densities. Taking into account the electrostatic shielding leads to worse agreement between the predictions of the model and the experimental data; this result still remains unclear. Scaling laws are obtained that allow one to estimate the local ablation rate of impurity pellets made of various materials over a wide range of plasma parameters in the neutral gas shielding model.

Compact gas gun injection system for variable sized solid pellets

The design, construction, and the testbed results for a novel compact gas gun injector for solid diagnostic pellets of different sizes and materials is reported here. The injector was optimized for the diagnostic requirements of the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak, yielding the possibility of a widely varying deposition profile of ablated material inside the plasma. This allows variation of the pellet velocity and the total number of injected atoms. The use of spherical carbon pellets and different propellant gases (He,N2,H2) results in an accessible velocity range from about 150 m/s to more than 600 m/s and pellet masses from 2×1018 to 1020 atoms. Both the scattering angle (∼1°) and the maximum propellant gas throughput to the tokamak (less than 1016 gas particles) were found to be sufficiently low. The injector provided both high efficiency (≥85%) and high reliability during the whole testbed operation period and also during the first injection experiments performed on ASDEX Upgrade. The pellet velocities achieve...

Fusion for Neutrons: A Realizable Fusion Neutron Source

For 60 years, fusion research has been focused on fusion for energy as the ultimate carbon-free solution to the worlds energy problems. It is proving a worthy but difficult task. However, it is relatively easy to produce high-energy fusion neutrons. The many potential applications of a 14-MeV neutron source are outlined, and a range of existing designs for such a source, based on a D-T fuelled spherical tokamak (ST), are reviewed. It is shown that the problems of high build and operating costs can be eased by a small device super-compact fusion neutron source (SCFNS) of major radius ~ 0.5 m, which although operating at modest plasma performance can provide megawatt-level neutron output. This breakthrough is achieved via the effectiveness of beam-plasma fusion, which becomes dominant in these conditions. Such a device would provide a resolution of the uncertainties in fusion STs (such as start-up, ramp-up, and steady-state operation), be an effective neutron source for research, and be an ideal entry vehicle for development of more powerful neutron sources in the new objective of “fusion for neutrons.”

Joint research using small tokamaks

Small tokamaks have an important role in fusion research. More than 40 small tokamaks are operational. Research on small tokamaks has created a scientific basis for the scaling-up to larger tokamaks. Well-known scientific and engineering schools, which are now determining the main directions of fusion science and technology, have been established through research on small tokamaks. Combined efforts within a network of small and medium size tokamaks will further enhance the contribution of small tokamaks. A new concept of interactive coordinated research using small tokamaks in the mainstream fusion science areas, in testing of new diagnostics, materials and technologies as well as in education, training and broadening of the geography of fusion research in the scope of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project, is presented.