Near term, low cost, 14 MeV fusion neutron irradiation facility for testing the viability of fusion structural materials

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Gerald L. Kulcinski^a ; ^{glkulcin@wisc.edu" class="auth_mail" title="E-mail the corresponding author} ; Ross F. Radel^b ; Andrew Davis^a
• 关键词：Radiation damage ; Neutrons ; Fusion materials ; Irradiation facilities
• 刊名：Fusion Engineering and Design
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：1 November 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：109-111
• 期：part_PB
• 页码：1072-1076
• 全文大小：1882 K

文摘

For over 50 years, engineers have been looking for an irradiation facility that can provide a fusion reactor appropriate neutron spectrum over a significant volume to test fusion reactor materials that is relatively inexpensive and can be built in a minimum of time. The 14 MeV neutron irradiation facility described here can nearly exactly duplicate the neutron spectrum typical of a DT fusion reactor first wall at damage rates of ≈4 displacements per atom and 40 appm He generated over a 2 l volume per full power year of operation. The projected cost of this multi-beam facility is estimated at ≈$20 million and it can be built in <4 years. A single-beam prototype, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, is already being built to produce medical isotopes. The neutrons are produced by a 300 keV deuterium beam accelerated into 4 kPa (30 Torr) tritium target. The total tritium inventory is <2 g and <0.1 g of T₂ is consumed per year. The core technology proposed has already been fully demonstrated, and no new plasma physics or materials innovations will be required for the test facility to become operational.