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Development of advanced fuel inertial fusion targets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2009

N.A. Tahir
Affiliation:
Physikalisches Institut, Universität Erlangen, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
D.H.H. Hoffmann
Affiliation:
Physikalisches Institut, Universität Erlangen, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

Abstract

This paper discusses the implications of using different fuels, including pure deuterium, deuterium–tritium, deuterium–helium3, and proton–boron11, on safety and environmental compatibility of the fusion reactor, as well as on the driver requirements. Due to present-day technology limitations, it seems likely that the first generation of the fusion reactors will be based on a deuterium–tritium cycle. Such a scheme, however, would pose serious problems, including neutron activation and tritium handling. We show that by developing low-level tritium inertial fusion targets, one may substantially reduce the daily use of tritium in the reactor that may ultimately lead to a reduction in the overall tritium inventory in the power plant. Such reduced tritium targets will still generate sufficient energy to run the power plant economically.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

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