Advanced D-3He Fuel Cycle
The interest in fusion safety has stimulated worldwide research for advanced fuel cycles such as D-D, D-3He, p-11B, and 3He-3He. These fuel cycles, except 3He-3He, are not completely aneutronic due to their side reactions. Neutron wall loadings, however, can be kept low (by orders of magnitude) compared to D-T fuelled plants with the same output power, eliminating the need for a breeding blanket and the replacement of the first wall and shielding components during the entire plant lifetime. The availability of 3He and the attainment of the higher plasma parameters required for burning are challenging problems for the D-3He fuel cycle. High beta and/or high field innovative confinement concepts, such as the field-reversed configuration and, to a lesser extent, the tokamaks are suitable devices for advanced fuel cycles.
In the early 1990s, the ARIES-III D-3He tokamak was developed within the framework of the ARIES study. The UW D-3He Apollo series, along with ARIES-III, demonstrated attractive safety characteristics, including low activity and decay heat levels, low-level waste, and low releasable radioactive inventory from credible accidents. Another advantage for the D-3He system is the possibility of obtaining electrical power by direct energy conversion of the protons and radiation produced by fusion reactions. These advantages suggest that studies for the development of advanced fuel cycles should be carried out in parallel with the present mainstream D-T fusion power development, as the low neutron production helps overcome some of the engineering, materials, and safety hurdles to fusion development.
Related Links
- Gallery of He-3 Media Coverage
- D-3He Fusion Overview poster
- Advanced D-3He Fuel Cycle
- A Field Trip to the Moon
- Safe, Clean Abundant Energy from the Moon [13 min Quicktime video] [170 MB .avi file]
Publications
UWFDM-1296 Recent Developments in Environmental Aspects of D-3He Fueled Fusion Devices; Laila El-Guebaly and Massimo Zucchetti, October 2006 (revised April 2008) [published in Fusion Engineering and Design, vol. 82, 4 (2007) 351-361]. (27 pages, 630 kB)
A Passively Proliferation-Proof Fusion Power Plant; J.F. Santarius, G.L. Kulcinski, and L.A. El-Guebaly, 2003 [Fusion Science & Technology, 44, 289].
Neutronics Assessment for the ARIES Advanced Reactor Studies; L.A. El-Guebaly, 1995 [Fusion Engineering and Design, 28, 658-664].
Overview of Apollo Studies and Economic Assessment of Several Proposed Variations; L.A. El-Guebaly and C.W. Maynard, July 1993 [Proceedings of Second Wisconsin Symposium on 3He and Fusion Power, Madison, WI, WCSAR-TR-AR3-9307-3, 221].
Engineering Design of ARIES-III; D.K. Sze et al., July 1993 [Proceedings of Second Symposium on 3He and Fusion Power, Madison, WI, WCSAR-TR-AR3-9307-3, 309].
Summary of Apollo, a D-3He Tokamak Reactor Design; G.L. Kulcinski et al., July 1992 [Fusion Technology, Vol. 21, No. 4, 2292].
Safety and Environmental Characteristics of Recent D-3He and DT Tokamak Power Reactors; G.L. Kulcinski et al., May 1992 [Fusion Technology, Vol. 21, No. 3, Part 2B, 1779].
Neutronics Analysis for the First Wall and Shield of the D-3He Reactor ARIES-III; M.E. Sawan and L.A. El-Guebaly, May 1992 [Fusion Technology, Vol. 21, No. 3, Part 2B, 2069].
Waste Disposal of Candidate Structural Materials in Fusion Reactors Utilizing Different Fuel Cycles; H. Attaya, M. Sawan, and G. Kulcinski, 1992 [Fusion Technology 22, 115].
Shielding Aspects of D-3He Fusion Power Reactors; L.A. El-Guebaly, 1992 [Fusion Technology, Vol. 22, No. 1, 124].
Activation Analysis for the D-3He Reactor ARIES-III; H. Khater and M. Sawan, 1992 [Fusion Technology 21, 2112].
Startup Scenarios of an Advanced Fuel Tokamak: First Wall and Shield Thermal Response; E. Mogahed, G. Emmert and M. Sawan, 1992 [Fusion Technology 21, 1739].
An Improved First Stability Advanced Fuel Tokamak, Apollo-L3; G.A. Emmert et al., Oct. 1991 [Proceedings of IEEE 14th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, San Diego, CA].
Safety and Environmental Aspects of the Apollo-L2 D-3He Reactor; H. Khater and M. Sawan, Oct. 1991 [Proc. IEEE 14th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, San Diego, CA].
The Importance of Using the Mixed Neutron Flux in Activation Analysis of D-3He Fueled Reactors; H. Khater and M. Sawan, Oct. 1991 [Proc. IEEE 14th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, San Diego, CA].
The ARIES-III D-3He Tokamak-Reactor Study; F. Najmabadi, R. Conn et al., Oct. 1991 [Proceedings of IEEE 14th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, San Diego, CA].
Organic Cooled First Wall and Shield Design for the ARIES-III D-3He Reactor; M. Sawan et al., Oct. 1991 [Proc. IEEE 14th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, San Diego, CA].
UWFDM-866 The Importance of Using the Mixed Neutron Flux in Activation Analysis of D-3He Fueled Reactors; H.Y. Khater, M.E. Sawan, September 1991 [Presented at the 14th IEEE/NPSS Symposium on Fusion Engineering, 30 September - 3 October 1991, San Diego CA]. (7 pages, 645 kB)
Apollo-L3, An Advanced Fuel Fusion Power Reactor Utilizing Direct and Thermal Energy Conversion; G.L. Kulcinski et al., May 1991 [Fusion Technology, Vol. 19, No. 3, Part 2A, 791].
UWFDM-849 Activation and Safety Analysis for Advanced Fuel Fusion Reactors; H.Y. Khater, March 1991 [Ph.D. thesis]. (129 pages, 3.7 MB)
UWFDM-829 The Impact of Proton-Induced Activation on the Level of Radioactivity in D-3He Fusion Reactors; H.Y. Khater and W.F. Vogelsang, October 1990 [Presented at the 9th Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy, 7-11 October 1990, Oak Brook IL]. (9 pages, 552 kB)
UWFDM-803 Shielding Design Options and Impact on Reactor Size and Cost for the Advanced Fuel Reactor Apollo; Laila A. El-Guebaly, October 1989 [Presented at the 13th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, 2-6 October 1989, Knoxville TN; published in IEEE 89CH2820-9 (1990) 388]. (6 pages, 549 kB)
UWFDM-802 Activation and Safety Analyses for the D-3He Fueled Tokamak Reactor Apollo; H.Y. Khater, M.E. Sawan, S.W. Lomperski, I.N. Sviatoslavsky, October 1989 [Presented at the 13th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, 2-6 October 1989, Knoxville TN; published in IEEE 89CH2820-9 (1990) 728]. (7 pages, 781 kB)
Shielding Design Options and Impact on Reactor Size and Cost for the Advanced Fuel Reactor Apollo; L.A. El-Guebaly, Oct. 1989 [Proceedings of IEEE 13th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, Knoxville, Tennessee, Vol. 1, 388].
Apollo-L2, An Advanced Fuel Tokamak Reactor Utilizing Direct Conversion; G.A. Emmert et al., Oct. 1989 [Proceedings of IEEE 13th Symposium on Fusion Engineering, Knoxville, Tennessee, Vol. 2, 1043].
Apollo - An Advanced Fuel Fusion Power Reactor for the 21st Century; G.L. Kulcinski et al., March 1989 [Fusion Technology 15, No. 2, Part 2B, 1233].
Possibilities for Breakeven and Ignition of D-3He Fusion Fuel in a Near Term Tokamak; G.A. Emmert, L. El-Guebaly, et al., 1989 [Nuclear Fusion, 29, No. 9, 1427].