RU2461083C2 - Absorption method of laser thermonuclear fusion energy, and device for its implementation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: power industry.

SUBSTANCE: absorption method of laser thermonuclear fusion energy consists in conversion of energy of neutron flux and flux of γ-quanta to heat energy. Energy absorption is performed with heat carrier flowing about the first reactor wall in the energy flow direction, and the first wall is maximum transparent for neutron flux and flux of γ-quanta. Absorption device of laser thermonuclear fusion energy includes reactor shell with channels for pumping of heat carrier. Liquid, gaseous or heterogeneous absorber of neutron flux and flux of γ-quanta is used as heat carrier, and the first wall is made from glass ceramics which is transparent for neutron flux and flux of γ-quanta.

EFFECT: improving the efficiency of conversion process of particle flow energy to heat energy.

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Description

The invention relates to the field of thermonuclear energy and can be used in the development and creation of heat supply stations and power plants using thermonuclear energy.

A known method of energy absorption of laser thermonuclear fusion [1], in which the energy of neutrons and radiation is absorbed in the layer of the carbon composite constituting the structure of the first wall, and is transferred by thermal conductivity to the heterogeneous coolant (helium + Li ₂ O granules) circulating in pipes laid in the first wall . The disadvantage of this method is the intensive destruction of the materials of the first wall and the need for their frequent replacement, as well as contamination of the chamber with destruction products.

Closest to the proposed method is the method presented in [2], in which almost complete absorption of energy is carried out in the jets of a liquid coolant, forming a veil around a thermonuclear target. The disadvantage of this method is its complexity and restrictions on the atmosphere in the reactor cavity in connection with the evaporation of the liquid.

The task of the invention is to simplify and reduce the cost of obtaining energy of thermonuclear fusion. To solve this problem, a method for absorbing the energy of laser fusion is proposed, which consists in converting the energy of the neutron flux and the flux of γ-quanta into thermal energy. What is new in the author’s opinion is that energy is absorbed by a coolant washing the outer surface of the first wall of the reactor along the flow of energy, and the first wall is made of a material with a low absorption coefficient of the neutron flux and the flux of gamma rays, for example, glass ceramics. To date, glasses and glass ceramics have already been developed that are resistant to the effects of neutron and x-ray radiation [3, 4] for a long time, primarily with respect to staining, and having a low absorption coefficient of gamma rays, which ensures bulk absorption. A coolant having a large coefficient of absorption of neutrons and γ-quanta can be made in the simplest case based on water or an aqueous solution of metal salts, for example, BaI, with micro- and nanoparticles of heavy metals introduced into it.

A device [5] is known for absorbing the energy of laser fusion, which contains a reactor vessel with a first wall of graphite-based materials with channels for pumping coolant. A heterogeneous heat carrier is used as a heat carrier. The disadvantage of this device is the strong erosion of the walls. The closest in technical essence to the claimed device is a reactor with a liquid blanket of lithium jets [2] surrounding the target.

The disadvantage of this device is the atomization of lithium, the complexity of organizing a liquid blanket. To solve this problem, a device for absorbing energy of laser fusion is proposed, which contains a reactor vessel with channels for pumping coolant. What is new in the author's opinion is that a liquid, gas, or heterogeneous absorber of a neutron flux and a flux of gamma quanta is used as a coolant, and the first wall is made of glass ceramic that is transparent to a neutron flux and a flux of gamma quanta.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing, which shows a General view of the proposed device (figure 1). The device contains a spherical reactor chamber 1 with windows for introducing laser beams 2, between the first 3 and the rear wall of the chamber 4 there is a channel for pumping the coolant 5, filled with liquid, gas or heterogeneous absorber 6 of the energy of the products of the thermonuclear reaction initiated in the spherical target 7 by laser radiation. The first wall 3 is made of a material having high transmittance for the neutron flux and the flux of gamma rays. Heat carrier 5, on the contrary, has high absorption coefficients of these flows. The device operates as follows. When a thermonuclear reaction in target 6 is initiated by pulsed laser radiation, which is introduced through the windows 2 into the chamber and focused on the target, the reaction products — neutrons (80%), γ-quanta (10%) pass through the first wall 3, which is quasi-transparent for them, and are absorbed into a layer of coolant 7 pumped in the channel 5. The flow of the heated coolant transfers energy from the chamber to the outer loop of the reactor. As the material of the first wall, special glasses or glass ceramics resistant to neutron and γ radiation can be used. Already at the current level of technology for producing glass ceramics, the use of elements with low atomic weight in glass ceramics allows a 10-100-fold increase in the range of X-ray quanta up to cm [3, 4]. As a coolant-moderator, you can use water or aqueous solutions of metal salts (BaI, for example). A layer of water ~ 0.3 m thick will slow down neutrons with energies up to 10 MeV to thermal energies and output thermonuclear energy to an external heat exchanger. To absorb the flux of gamma rays, micro and nanoparticles of heavy metals (Cu, Au, etc.) are introduced into water. The use of high-temperature organic coolants-moderators will improve the thermal characteristics of the reactor. It is also possible to use liquid metal, Li, for example, with a melting point of ~ 450 K. Operating temperatures for glasses are ~ 750 K, for glass ceramics ~ 1000 K.

Bibliography

1. Kulcinski G. et al // Fusion Technology and Design. 2002. V.60. P.3.

2. Moir R. et al // Fusion Technology. 1994. V.25. P.5.

3. Margaryan A et al // Physics and Chemistry of Rare-Earth Ions Glasses. Zurich: TTP Inc. 2008 year

4. G. Appleby, C. Bartle. Current Applied Phys. V.6, pp. 389-392. 2007.

5. Duderstadt J., Moses G. // Inertial thermonuclear fusion. 1984. - M .: Energoatomizdat. S.265.

Claims (2)

1. A method of absorbing energy of laser thermonuclear fusion, which consists in converting the energy of the neutron flux and the flux of gamma rays into thermal energy, characterized in that the energy is absorbed by the coolant washing the first wall of the reactor along the flow of energy, and the first wall a is made of material with low absorption coefficient of the neutron flux and the flux of γ-quanta, for example from glass ceramics. 2. A device for absorbing energy of laser fusion, containing a reactor chamber with channels for pumping coolant, characterized in that the coolant used is a liquid, or gas, or heterogeneous absorber of a neutron flux and a flux of γ-quanta, and the first wall is made of glass ceramics, transparent for neutron flux and gamma-ray flux.