Charles C. Baker

Overview of the Blanket Comparison and Selection Study

A comprehensive Blanket Comparison and Selection Study was conducted to evaluate proposed D-T fusion reactor blanket concepts and to identify those concepts that offer the greatest potential for fusion reactor applications. The multilaboratory study was led by Argonne National Laboratory and included support from thirteen industrial, national and university laboratories; six primary subcontractors and seven specialized contributors. The primary objectives of the program were (1) to identify a small number (approx. 3) of the blanket concepts that should be the focus of the blanket R and D program, (2) to define and prioritize the critical issues for the leading blanket concepts, and (3) to provide technical input for development of blanket R and D programs. A blanket concept is generally defined by the selection of the component materials, viz., breeder, coolant, structure, and neutron multiplier, and specification of the geometrical configuration. Blanket concepts were evaluated for both the tokamak and tandem mirror reactor configurations using the STARFIRE and MARS reactor designs as a basis, with appropriate modifications to reflect recent advances in technology.

A plan for the development of fusion energy

This is the final report of a panel set up by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) in response to a charge letter dated September 10, 2002 from Dr. Ray Orbach, Director of the DOEs Office of Science. In that letter, Dr. Orbach asked FESAC to develop a plan with the end goal of the start of operation of a demonstration power plant in approximately 35 years. This report, submitted March 5, 2003, presents such a plan, leading to commercial application of fusion energy by mid-century. The plan is derived from the necessary features of a demonstration fusion power plant and from the time scale defined by President Bush. It identifies critical milestones, key decision points, needed major facilities and required budgets. The report also responds to a request from DOE to FESAC to describe what new or upgraded fusion facilities will “best serve our purposes” over a time frame of the next twenty years.

STARFIRE, a commercial tokamak power plant design

Abstract STARFIRE is a design for a conceptual commercial tokamak electrical power plant based on the deuterium/tritium/lithium fuel cycle. In addition to the goal of being technologically credible, the design incorporates safety and environmental considerations. STARFIRE is considered to be the tenth in a series of commercial fusion power plants. STARFIRE has a 7-m major radius reactor producing 1200 MW of net electrical power from 4000 MW of thermal power, with an average neutron wall load of 3.6 MW/m 2 . The aspect ratio is 3.6 and a D-shaped plasma with a height-to-width ratio of 1.6 and average toroidal beta of 0.067 is used. The maximum magnetic field is 11T. Availability goals have been set at 85% for the reactor and 75% for the complete plant including the reactor. The major features for STARFIRE include a steady-state operating mode based on a continuous rf lower-hybrid current drive and auxiliary heating, solid tritium breeder material, pressurized water cooling, limiter/vacuum for impurity control, most superconducting EF coils outside the TF superconducting coils, fully remote maintenance, and a low-activation shield.

ITER-a world class challenge and opportunity

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor is an activity by the US, Japan, the Russian Federation and the European Atomic Energy, to design a fusion engineering test reactor based on the tokamak concept. The main objective of ITER is to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. A six year engineering design activity began is 1992. The paper provides a design overview and describes key components including the superconducting magnets and in-vessel. The ITER International Organization and the US Home Team Organization is described.<<ETX>>

Technology research and development

The U.S. Dept. of Energy discusses the new program plan, the parameters of which are a broad scientific and technology knowledge base, an attractive plasma configuration to be determined, and other issues concerning uncertainty as to what constitutes attractive fusion options to be determined in the future, and increased collaboration. Tables show changing directions in magnetic fusion energy, two examples of boundary condition impacts on long-term technology development, and priority classes of the latter. The Argonne National Laboratory comments on the relationship between science, technology and the engineering aspects of the fusion program. UCLA remarks on the role of fusion technology in the fusion program plan, particularly on results from the recent studies of FINESSE. General Dynamics offers commentary on the issues of a reduced budget, and new emphasis on science which creates an image of the program. A table illustrates technology research and development in the program plan from an industrial perspective.

Trends and Developments in Magnetic Confinement Fusion Reactor Concepts

AbstractAn overview is presented of recent design trends and developments in reactor concepts for magnetic confinement fusion. The paper emphasizes the engineering and technology considerations of ...

Nonelectric Applications of Fusion

This is the final report of a panel set up by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) in response to a charge letter from Dr. James Decker, Acting Director of the DOE Office of Science. In that letter, Dr. Decker asked FESAC to consider “whether the Fusion Energy Sciences program should broaden its scope and activities to include non-electric applications of intermediate-term fusion devices.” This report, submitted to FESAC July 31, 2003, and subsequently approved by them (Appendix B), presents FESACs response to that charge.

Status and prospects for fusion energy from magnetically confined plasmas

A broad review is presented of the status and outlook of achieving fusion energy production by the confinement of high temperature plasmas with magnetic fields. The paper describes the basic features of the fusion process, plasma confinement principles and concepts with emphasis on the Tokamak, issues of materials development, descriptions of the major components and subsystems of fusion reactors, prospects for power plants, the policy in the United States of magnetic fusion energy and the international aspects of this endeavor.

First wall/blanket/shield design and optimization system

A first wall/blanket/shield design and optimization system (BSDOS) has been developed to provide a state-of-the-art design tool for fast, accurate analysis. In addition, it has been designed to perform several other functions: (a) allowing comparison and evaluation studies for different concepts using the same data bases and ground rules, (b) permitting the use of any figure of merit in the evaluation studies, (c) optimizing the first wall/blanket/shield design parameters for any figure of merit under several design constraints, (d) permitting the use of different reactor parameters in the evaluation and optimization analyses, (e) allowing the use of improved engineering data bases to study the impact on the design performance for planning future research and development, and (f) evaluating the effect of the data base uncertainties on the design performance. BSDOS is the first design and optimization system to couple the highly interacting neutronics, heat transfer, thermal hydraulics, stress analysis, radioactivity and decay-heat analyses, tritium balance, and capital cost. A brief description of the main features of BSDOS is given in this paper. Also, results for using BSDOS to perform design analysis for several reactor components are presented.

System Studies of Copper- and Superconducting-Coil Pilot Plants

The TETRA systems code is used to examine devices with both normal copper and superconducting coils as vehicles for steady-state production of fusion power in a Pilot Plant. If the constraints of p...