[ RadSafe ] Tokomak, Fusion, etc.

[Dukelow, James S Jr]

J Preisig wrote:
-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of JPreisig at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 5:10 PM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Tokomak, Fusion, etc.


Hmmmmmm,

     This is from:    jpreisig at aol.com     .

  <snip>

          The basic fusion reactions are deuterium on deuterium and/or
   deuterium on tritium.  The second reaction produces 15 MeV
   neutrons.  These 15 MeV neutrons can interact with the fusion reactor
   assembly (metals and other materials) and neutron activate such
   materials.  Such neutron activation is described in the book
Accelerator
   Health Physics by Patterson and Thomas and in a more dedicated book
on
   activation, which is probably listed in Patterson & Thomas'
references.

         The energies to make the fusion reactions go is typically 10 to
50
   keV.  So, if you put in 10 to 50 keV and can get 15 MeV out (via the
   neutrons), then you gain energy by making fusion reactions happen.
   You have to contain the fusion plasma with magnetic fields or else
the 
    plasma will interact with the fusion reactor (material) walls and
destroy 
the
    fusion reactor structure.

          The TFTR at PPPL was a tokomak of sorts, I believe.

         You can breed tritium by allowing the fusion neutrons to
interact 
with a
    blanket of Lithium, as alluded to by other persons posting to
radsafe.

    <snip>

         The deutrium for the fusions was supposed to come from ocean
water.  As stated earlier, tritium can be bred in a fusion reactor.

    <snip>

          Regards,             Joseph R. (Joe) Preisig,  Ph.D.


================

I read somewhere, 15-20 years ago, the assertion that lithium-6 was the
limiting resource that would constrain the size of a worldwide fusion
power system and the cost of the power produced.  Is anyone aware of a
citation on this or an evaluation of its accuracy?  Further, handling
liquid lithium has many of the same issues as handling liquid sodium.

Best regards.

Jim Dukelow
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, WA
jim.dukelow at pnl.gov

These comments are mine and have not been reviewed and/or approved by my
management or by the U.S. Department of Energy