WO2012103548A1 - Enveloppe de fusion accordable pour le suivi des variations de charge et la production de tritium - Google Patents

Enveloppe de fusion accordable pour le suivi des variations de charge et la production de tritium Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2012103548A1
WO2012103548A1 PCT/US2012/023156 US2012023156W WO2012103548A1 WO 2012103548 A1 WO2012103548 A1 WO 2012103548A1 US 2012023156 W US2012023156 W US 2012023156W WO 2012103548 A1 WO2012103548 A1 WO 2012103548A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
fusion
chamber
blanket
fusion chamber
high temperature
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2012/023156
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Jeffery Fredrick LATKOWSKI
Kevin James KRAMER
James Alexander DEMUTH
Kevin Morris
Original Assignee
Lawrence Livermore National Security, Llc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from PCT/US2011/059814 external-priority patent/WO2012064767A1/fr
Application filed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, Llc filed Critical Lawrence Livermore National Security, Llc
Priority to KR1020137022061A priority Critical patent/KR20140004184A/ko
Priority to RU2013133629/07A priority patent/RU2013133629A/ru
Priority to CA2822075A priority patent/CA2822075A1/fr
Priority to CN2012800065274A priority patent/CN103340019A/zh
Priority to EP12739212.4A priority patent/EP2668831A1/fr
Priority to JP2013551416A priority patent/JP2014508289A/ja
Publication of WO2012103548A1 publication Critical patent/WO2012103548A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21B—FUSION REACTORS
    • G21B1/00—Thermonuclear fusion reactors
    • G21B1/11—Details
    • G21B1/13—First wall; Blanket; Divertor
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E30/00—Energy generation of nuclear origin
    • Y02E30/10—Nuclear fusion reactors

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the production of electrical power using fusion reactions.
  • the invention relates to a fusion chamber for an inertial confinement fusion power plant in which continuous real-time adjustment of fusion power and tritium production rates are enabled.
  • the NIF is designed as a research instrument, one in which single "shots" on deuterium-tritium containing targets are performed for research. A description of the NIF can be found in Moses et al, Fusion Science and Technology, Volume 60, pp 11-16 (201 1) and references therein.
  • LIFE Laser Inertial-confinement Fusion Energy
  • a fusion power plant is provided with a fusion chamber into which capsules containing deuterium and tritium fuel are introduced multiple times per second.
  • targets As the individual fuel capsules contained within hohlraums ("targets") reach the center of the chamber, banks of lasers fire on the targets, heating and compressing the fuel to create a fusion reaction. Heat from the fusion reaction is captured by coolant circulating around the chamber. This heat is then used to generate electricity.
  • a desired aspect of plant operation is production of tritium to replace that burned in previous targets.
  • This invention offers the operator of a fusion power plant the added flexibility of adjusting the tritium breeding ratio and thermal power by means of filling or emptying regions within the fusion blanket. These adjustments allow for fusion plant load-following, enabling the fusion blanket to be tuned to deliver different amounts of thermal power and corresponding electric power to the grid in real-time, and to also control the amount of tritium production.
  • Figure 1 illustrates the fusion chamber and its segmented design
  • Figure 2 is a perspective view of one-half of one segment of the fusion chamber
  • Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of one segment of the fusion chamber shown in Figure 2.
  • Figure 4 is another cross-sectional view of a segment of the fusion chamber shown in Figure 2 illustrating additional compartments used to provide control over output power and tritium breeding.
  • FIG 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall design of a fusion chamber 20 as may be used for implementation of our invention.
  • This chamber 20 will be situated within a fusion power plant such as described in our co-pending United States patent application entitled "Inertial Confinement Fusion Power Plant Which Decouples Life-Limited
  • the chamber consists of multiple identical sections 100.
  • Each section 100 can be factory built and shipped to the power plant site using conventional transportation equipment.
  • the modular chamber sections are mounted within a common support frame. The fully assembled chamber and frame are then transported for installation within a vacuum vessel surrounding the chamber. Installation of the chamber requires only the connection of cooling inlet pipes and outlet pipes to each quarter-section of the chamber, which is independently plumbed.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a one-half segment 100 of the fusion chamber 10.
  • the segment has a first wall which consists of parallel arranged tubes 1 10 which cover the underlying structure, and through which lithium coolant is circulated.
  • the beam port openings 120 in the segment are also illustrated.
  • Lithium is sent first to a plenum that feeds coolant to one-quarter of the full chamber. Coolant is first routed to the first wall tubes, where it experiences the highest heat flux. Upon exiting from the first wall tubes, the lithium is circulated into the blanket entry port 130. Coolant existing the blanket does so through port 140.
  • the four one-quarter sections of the full chamber are independently plumbed.
  • the first wall pipes are routed radially outward and then they wrap around on the back side of the blanket. Additional openings are provided at the top and bottom of the chamber for interfaces with the target injection system and the debris clearing / vacuum pumping / target catching systems, respectively.
  • Figure 3 is cross section through the mid-point of an ordinary segment 100, that is a segment which does not include the features of this invention. Depending upon the extent to which adjustment of power production and tritium breeding are desired, only some segments of the fusion chamber may include the features of this invention. On the other hand, greater flexibility can be achieved by including the features of this invention in all segments of the chamber, one such segment being illustrated in Figure 4 below.
  • the first wall tubing 1 10 is illustrated, along with the underlying structure 150.
  • Liquid lithium coolant enters the tubing 1 10 through a plenum 160 which is coupled to all of the tubes of the segment 100.
  • a similar plenum (not shown) on the other side of the segment collects the liquid lithium after it has passed through the tubing 110.
  • the first wall tubing 1 10 and the underlying structure 150 can be independently plumbed to satisfy different cooling requirements and/or enable the use of alternate coolants.
  • Cooling of the underlying structure 150 is designed such that the coldest coolant is delivered to the structural materials. This is accomplished through use of "skin cooling" with the coolant entering the blanket at the top and flowing down at high speed through smaller cooling channels. The coolant turns around when it reaches the bottom of the blanket and then flows up through the bulk region 170 at much lower speed. The low temperature and high speed in the skin region provides the most effective cooling.
  • the blanket coolant is introduced through port 130 and extracted from a similar port 140.
  • coolant entering the first wall tubes at 470°C will leave the first wall and enter the underlying structure (blanket) at approximately 510°C.
  • the coolant reaches approximately 550°C at the bottom of the blanket.
  • the coolant heats up at the top of the blanket to an outlet temperature of 575°C.
  • Higher temperatures can be achieved through use of nonstructural insulating panels.
  • tungsten is compatible with liquid lithium to more than 1300°C.
  • Our design used bare steel and provides lithium at an exit temperature of 575°C. By appropriate selection of materials, however, a future fusion chamber design would allow even higher temperatures.
  • the fusion chamber is designed according to the ASME piping code. Specifically, the chamber is designed to one-third of a given material's ultimate tensile strength, two-thirds of its yield strength, two-thirds of its creep rupture strength and a 0.01% creep rate per 1000 hours. Temperature-dependent properties are used in such evaluations.
  • Our invention provides a fusion chamber that offers the operator of the power plant the flexibility of adjusting the tritium breeding ratio and the thermal power by filling or draining regions within the fusion blanket. These real-time adjustments may be required when it is desired to produce additional tritium, for example, to overcome shortages resulting from lower-than-expected production, or higher-than-expected losses, or to produce tritium to fuel new fusion facilities. These adjustments allow for the fusion power plant to load follow, enabling it to be tuned to deliver different amounts of thermal power, and corresponding electrical power, to the grid in real time.
  • the real-time adjustment of the tritium breeding ratio and the thermal output power is accomplished by filling compartments, e.g. compartment 170, in the fusion blanket with tin or other materials that have the desired neutron interaction properties.
  • the material can be inserted and removed to the desired level to increase or decrease the thermal power output and increase or decrease the corresponding tritium breeding ratio.
  • the materials used can be stagnant, flowing liquid, or movable solids. If desired, additional neutron producing materials such as beryllium or beryllium titanium (Bei 2 Ti) can further improve performance.
  • the fusion blanket By enabling the fusion blanket to capture neutrons and energy released from the fusion reaction, the collected energy may be converted to tritium for new fusion fuel production and to thermal power in the form of flowing high temperature coolant.
  • Figure 4 illustrates one implementation of the compartments 200.
  • compartments 200 are formed from high temperature refractory metal alloys to allow maximum thermal power production while maintaining high strength in the structural components. These alloys include tungsten and vanadium, as well as other materials. The compartments can be selectively filled and emptied with high temperature resistant materials such as tin or gadolinium,
  • thermal power was proposed to be reduced by reducing fusion target output, reducing the repetition rate of the fusion source, or dumping excess thermal power using cooling towers.
  • thermal power was proposed to be reduced by reducing fusion target output, reducing the repetition rate of the fusion source, or dumping excess thermal power using cooling towers.
  • tin is employed within the tungsten chambers 200.
  • the tin is stagnant, but it can be pumped into position or drained (or otherwise inserted and removed) to change the fusion engine from "power mode" with the tin present, to "tritium breeding mode" with the tin removed.
  • Our analysis of the tritium breeding ratio and the gain of the bulk material are shown in the table below. With an all liquid lithium cooled blanket, that is, with all segments of the fusion chamber being as illustrated in Figure 3, the tritium breeding ratio and gain are shown in the first row. With tungsten compartments containing tin (and emptied of tin), the tritium breeding ratio and gain are shown in the second and third rows of the table. Finally with tungsten compartments loaded and drained with a Bei 2 Ti/Sn blanket, the results are shown in the last two rows of the table. Design Tritium Breeding Ratio Gain
  • our invention allows real-time adjustment.
  • the fusion thermal power produced and tritium production rate can be constantly tracked and traded off with operating conditions as needed to product excess tritium for new plant startup or to reduce power production of the plant during low demand periods.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
  • Particle Accelerators (AREA)
  • Inorganic Compounds Of Heavy Metals (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne une chambre de fusion pour une centrale de fusion par confinement inertiel. Cette chambre comporte des régions pour l'écoulement du fluide de refroidissement autour de l'extérieur de la chambre, ainsi que des compartiments en alliages de métaux réfractaires à haute température tels que le tungstène et le vanadium, qui contiennent de l'étain ou d'autres matériaux possédant les propriétés d'interaction neutronique recherchées. L'étain peut être inséré et retiré pour augmenter ou réduire l'énergie thermique fournie et augmenter ou réduire le TBR correspondant.
PCT/US2012/023156 2011-01-28 2012-01-30 Enveloppe de fusion accordable pour le suivi des variations de charge et la production de tritium WO2012103548A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
KR1020137022061A KR20140004184A (ko) 2011-01-28 2012-01-30 부하 추종 및 삼중수소 생산을 위한 조정가능한 핵융합 블랭킷
RU2013133629/07A RU2013133629A (ru) 2011-01-28 2012-01-30 Регулируемая зона воспроизводства термоядерного реактора для следования за нагрузкой и выработки трития
CA2822075A CA2822075A1 (fr) 2011-01-28 2012-01-30 Enveloppe de fusion accordable pour le suivi des variations de charge et la production de tritium
CN2012800065274A CN103340019A (zh) 2011-01-28 2012-01-30 用于负荷跟踪和氚制备的可调聚变再生区
EP12739212.4A EP2668831A1 (fr) 2011-01-28 2012-01-30 Enveloppe de fusion accordable pour le suivi des variations de charge et la production de tritium
JP2013551416A JP2014508289A (ja) 2011-01-28 2012-01-30 負荷追従およびトリチウム生成用の調整可能な核融合ブランケット

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201161437508P 2011-01-28 2011-01-28
US61/437,508 2011-01-28
USPCT/US2011/059814 2011-11-08
PCT/US2011/059814 WO2012064767A1 (fr) 2010-11-08 2011-11-08 Chambre de fusion à confinement inertiel

Publications (1)

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WO2012103548A1 true WO2012103548A1 (fr) 2012-08-02

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EP (1) EP2668831A1 (fr)
JP (1) JP2014508289A (fr)
CN (1) CN103340019A (fr)
CA (1) CA2822075A1 (fr)
RU (1) RU2013133629A (fr)
WO (1) WO2012103548A1 (fr)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8537958B2 (en) 2009-02-04 2013-09-17 General Fusion, Inc. Systems and methods for compressing plasma
US8891719B2 (en) 2009-07-29 2014-11-18 General Fusion, Inc. Systems and methods for plasma compression with recycling of projectiles
EP2617038A4 (fr) * 2010-11-08 2016-03-30 L Livermore Nat Security Llc Chambre de fusion à confinement inertiel
WO2019101991A1 (fr) * 2017-11-27 2019-05-31 Heinrich Hora Élimination de neutrons de réactions nucléaires dans un réacteur, en particulier fusion à laser propre de bore 11 sans contamination secondaire
CN111863286A (zh) * 2020-07-10 2020-10-30 中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院 一种基于碳化硅管的铍基液态包层
CN111950177A (zh) * 2020-07-22 2020-11-17 核工业西南物理研究院 一种固态产氚包层的多物理场耦合中子学自动优化方法
CN113593727A (zh) * 2021-07-29 2021-11-02 中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院 一种超临界二氧化碳液态锂铅双冷包层

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Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10984917B2 (en) 2009-02-04 2021-04-20 General Fusion Inc. Systems and methods for compressing plasma
US8537958B2 (en) 2009-02-04 2013-09-17 General Fusion, Inc. Systems and methods for compressing plasma
US9424955B2 (en) 2009-02-04 2016-08-23 General Fusion Inc. Systems and methods for compressing plasma
US9875816B2 (en) 2009-02-04 2018-01-23 General Fusion Inc. Systems and methods for compressing plasma
US8891719B2 (en) 2009-07-29 2014-11-18 General Fusion, Inc. Systems and methods for plasma compression with recycling of projectiles
US9271383B2 (en) 2009-07-29 2016-02-23 General Fusion, Inc. Systems and methods for plasma compression with recycling of projectiles
EP2617038A4 (fr) * 2010-11-08 2016-03-30 L Livermore Nat Security Llc Chambre de fusion à confinement inertiel
WO2019101991A1 (fr) * 2017-11-27 2019-05-31 Heinrich Hora Élimination de neutrons de réactions nucléaires dans un réacteur, en particulier fusion à laser propre de bore 11 sans contamination secondaire
US11087892B2 (en) 2017-11-27 2021-08-10 Heinrich Hora Elimination of neutrons from nuclear reactions in a reactor, in particular clean laser boron-11 fusion without secondary contamination
US11348697B2 (en) 2017-11-27 2022-05-31 Heinrich Hora Elimination of neutrons from nuclear reactions in a reactor, in particular clean laser boron-11 fusion without secondary contamination
CN111863286A (zh) * 2020-07-10 2020-10-30 中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院 一种基于碳化硅管的铍基液态包层
CN111950177A (zh) * 2020-07-22 2020-11-17 核工业西南物理研究院 一种固态产氚包层的多物理场耦合中子学自动优化方法
CN111950177B (zh) * 2020-07-22 2024-02-09 核工业西南物理研究院 一种固态产氚包层的多物理场耦合中子学自动优化方法
CN113593727A (zh) * 2021-07-29 2021-11-02 中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院 一种超临界二氧化碳液态锂铅双冷包层
CN113593727B (zh) * 2021-07-29 2024-02-09 中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院 一种超临界二氧化碳液态锂铅双冷包层

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Publication number Publication date
EP2668831A1 (fr) 2013-12-04
JP2014508289A (ja) 2014-04-03
CN103340019A (zh) 2013-10-02
CA2822075A1 (fr) 2012-08-02
RU2013133629A (ru) 2015-01-27

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