New Horizons for Fusion – Advanced
Fuels for the 21st Century
New Horizons for Fusion – Advanced
Fuels for the 21st Century
G.L. Kulcinski
J.F. Santarius
G.L. Kulcinski
J.F. Santarius
Fusion Technology Institute
University of Wisconsin
Fusion Technology Institute
University of Wisconsin
• Fusion fuels that emit few or no neutrons
• Not the DT or DD cycle (first generation)
• Most promising fuel cycle (second generation): D3He
• Future fusion fuel cycles-p11B, 3He3He (thirdgeneration)
What Do We Mean by Advanced Fuels?
Key Fusion Reactions and the Formin Which the Energy is Released
1st Generation D + T �! n + 4He 17.6 MeV
D + D
% n + 3He 3.65 MeV
& p + T (ave.)
2nd Generation D + 3He �! p + 4He 18.4 MeV
3rd Generation p + 11B �! 3 4He 8.7 MeV
3He + 3He �! 2p + 4He 12.9 MeV
9=;
10 -23
10 -22
10 -21
1 10 100
Ion Temperature (keV)
Rea
ctio
n R
ate
(m
3 /s)
50010 -22
Maxwellian Fusion Reaction Rates
D3HeD3He
3He3He3He3He
DTDT
p11Bp11BDDDD
• FRC's
• Spheromaks
• High Power DensityTokamaks
• RFP's
• Inertial ElectrostaticDevices
• Colliding Beams
• ICF/DT "Spark-plug"
• Inertial ElectrostaticDevices
• Colliding Beams
Where Might We Economically Burn the Advanced Fuels?
• Inertial ElectrostaticDevices
• Colliding Beams
D3He p11B 3He3He, p6Li
Reactivities (ΣEfus
σv) versus IEC Well Depth
10-23
10-22
10-21
10-20
10-19
1 10 100
IEF Well Depth (kV)
Rea
ctiv
ity
(MeV
-m
3 /s)
50010-24
DT
D3He
p-11B
3He-3HeDD
IEC Well Depth (kV)
Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Devices Have
Already Been Operated With Non-DT Fuel
Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Devices Have
Already Been Operated With Non-DT Fuel
• Previous IEC devices produced steady state DD fusion plasmas
• Recent tests at the Univ. of Wisconsin with advanced fuels have
produced steady state D3He plasmas.
• Previous IEC devices produced steady state DD fusion plasmas
• Recent tests at the Univ. of Wisconsin with advanced fuels have
produced steady state D3He plasmas.
Illinois Inst. Tech. 5 x 107 n/s @ 150 kV
Univ. of Wisconsin 1 x 107 n/s @ 50 kV
Daimler-Benz 5 x 106 n/s @ 80 kV
Kyoto Univ. 5 x 106 n/s @ 55 kV
Univ. of Illinois 1 x 106 n/s @ 70 kV
INEL 3 x 105 n/s @ 40 kV
Illinois Inst. Tech. 5 x 107 n/s @ 150 kV
Univ. of Wisconsin 1 x 107 n/s @ 50 kV
Daimler-Benz 5 x 106 n/s @ 80 kV
Kyoto Univ. 5 x 106 n/s @ 55 kV
Univ. of Illinois 1 x 106 n/s @ 70 kV
INEL 3 x 105 n/s @ 40 kV
Preliminary Data > 106 p/s @ 45 kVPreliminary Data > 106 p/s @ 45 kV
The Form of Energy Release is Quite Different in DT,DD, D3He and 3He-3He Fuel Cycles
The Form of Energy Release is Quite Different in DT,DD, D3He and 3He-3He Fuel Cycles
Apollo-L3Apollo-L3
Fractionof TotalEnergyReleased
Fractionof TotalEnergyReleased
ARIES-IARIES-I
DTDT D3HeD3HePOLYWELL™POLYWELL™
3He-3He3He-3He
00
2020
4040
6060
8080
100100
TransportTransport
TransportTransport
NeutronsNeutrons
BremsstrahlungBremsstrahlung
SynchrotronSynchrotron
SynchrotronSynchrotron
TransportTransport
BremsstrahlungBremsstrahlungBremsstrahlungBremsstrahlung
WILDCATWILDCAT
DDDD
NeutronsNeutrons
TransportTransport
NeutronsNeutrons
BremsstrahlungBremsstrahlung
SynchrotronSynchrotron
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Relative Amount of Fusion Reactions to
Make the Same Electrical Power
ARIES-I Wildcat APOLLO-L POLYWELL
The Amount and Form of Energy Required to Make Fusion Power is Quite Dependent on the Fusion Fuel Cycle
neutrons
transport
synchrotron
bremsstrahlung
DTD3He
DD
3He3He
Major Advantages Major Disadvantages
• Significant reduction in radiation
damage (permanent first wall life)
• Greatly reduced radioactivity
(low level waste)
• Potential for direct conversion
(higher efficiency and lower waste
heat)
Why Consider the Advanced Fuels for Power Production?
• Higher operating "temperature"
(requires higher nτ values)
• Lower plasma power density or
yield (requires higher beta or ρr)
• Fuel source - 3He
(requires NASA collaboration)
0
2 0 0
4 0 0
6 0 0
8 0 0
1000
1200
0 5 0 0 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Maximum
Structural
Temperature,oC
Maximum dpa per 30 Full Power YearsMaximum dpa per 30 Full Power Years
TITAN (V)
ARIES-I (SiC)
UWMAK-I (AS)
ARIES-II (V)
STARFIRE (AS)
UWTOR-M (FS)
ASRA-6C (AS)
HSR (AS)
Apollo-L3Apollo-L3
Apollo-LApollo-L
ARIES-IIIARIES-III
ARIES-RS (V)
"Permanent"Life Regimefor Steel
The Low Radiation Damage in D3He Reactors AllowsPermanent First Walls to be Designed
ARIES-IV (SiC)
UWMAK-II (AS)
UWMAK-III (Mo)
NUWMAK (Ti)
WITAMIR-I (FS)
MINIMARS (FS)
ARIES-ST (FS)
MARS (FS)
DT FuelD3He Fuel
Class of Relative LWR Fission DT D3He p11BWaste Cost of (Once Through) (SiC) (SiC) 3He3He,
Disposal p6Li
Class A 1
Class C ≈10
Deep ≈1000Geological(Yucca Mtn.)
The Use of 2nd and 3rd Generation Fusion Fuels Can GreatlyReduce or Even Eliminate Radioactive Waste Storage Problems
Relative Volume of Operation Waste/GWe-y
5555
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500
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D-T
3He:D=1:1
D-3He Fuel Requires High b, nt, and T
2 5 10 20 50 100Ion temperature HkeVL
0.001
0.005
0.01
0.05
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D-T
3He:D=1:1
D-D
• Power density in the plasmamust be increased to take ad-vantage of b2B4 scaling.
• T and nt must each be 4 to 5times higher for D-3He com-pared to D-T
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n Fusion power density scales as b2 B4.
n Superconducting magnets can reach 20 T.
n Potential power-density improvement by increasing B-field tolimits is ~2000!
D-3He, Unlike D-T, Fuel Could Use the High PowerDensity Capability of Innovative Fusion Concepts
• Promising high-power-density concepts are under investigation;e.g., FRC, spheromak, ST, RFP, IEC.
• D-T fueled innovative concepts become limited by first-wallneutron or surface heat loads well before they reach b or B-fieldlimits.
• D-T fueled, high-b innovative concepts optimze at B~3 T.
• D-3He needs a factor of ~ 80 above D-T fusion power densities.
FUS
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APS-DPP 1998
D-3He Fuel Allows High-Power-DensityInnovative Concepts to Use Their Full Capabilities
D-TTokamak
D-TFRC
D-3HeFRC
Beta 0.05 0.67 0.67
Magnetic field on coil, T 18 2.3 8.2
First-wall radius, m 1.4 2 1.5
2pR0 or Length, m 36 25 20
Fusion power, MW 2000 2000 2000
Neutron wall load, MW/m25 5 0.2
Surface heat load, MW/m21.3 0.09 2.9
• Helium-3 concentrationverified from Apollo 11, 12,14, 15, 16, 17 and U.S.S.R.Luna 16, 20 samples.
• Current analyses indicatethat there are at least1,000,000 tonnes of helium-3imbedded in the lunarsurface.
• Helium-3 concentrationverified from Apollo 11, 12,14, 15, 16, 17 and U.S.S.R.Luna 16, 20 samples.
• Current analyses indicatethat there are at least1,000,000 tonnes of helium-3imbedded in the lunarsurface.
Lunar Helium-3 Is
Well Documented
Lunar Helium-3 Is
Well Documented
% Titanium Dioxide2 4 6 8 10 12
10
20
30
40
50
AvAv
AvAv
He
Co
nte
nt
– w
pp
m
Mare Regolith
Highland Regolith
The Association of Helium with Ti in the Lunar Regolith
Enables Us to Pick the First Potential Mining Site
Physics Easiest Harder Hardest
(10 keV) (50 keV) (≥ 200 keV)
First Wall Life 3–4 FPY's Full Lifetime Full Lifetime
(Matls. Dev. Prog.) (extensive) (small) (off-the-shelf)
Radioactivity (vs. Fission)
after 1 day ≈ same 3% 'None'
after 100 years 0.1% 0.003% 'None'
Electrical Efficiency ≈ same 1.5–2 times ≈ 1–1.5 times
(vs. fission) higher higher
Key Technological Features of Fusion Fuels
1st Generation 2nd Generation 3rd Generation DT D3He 3He3He, p11B
1) eliminating one of the greatest barriers to public acceptance
of nuclear power – the concern over radioactive waste and
radioactivity releases
2) allowing off-the-shelf structural materials to be used, thus
eliminating expensive neutron test facilities & long
development times
3) eliminating T2 breeding blankets and complicated secondary
coolant loops
4) allowing high efficiency operation and inter-city siting of
electrical power plants
Conclusions
The use of advanced fusion fuels could revolutionize the Public's
view of fusion power by:
• These compelling attractive features can only be
achieved by a vigorous research program on
magnetic, inertial electrostatic, and/or inertial
fusion concepts specifically suitable for the burning
of advanced fusion fuels.
• One of the metrics used to determine the
attractiveness of fusion confinement concepts
should be the ability to burn the advanced fusion
fuels.
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