NOVEL HYBRID PILOT EXPERIMENT PROPOSAL FOR A FUSION-FISSION SUBCRITICAL COUPLED SYSTEM

Abstract

Fusion-fission hybrid systems (FFH) represent a coupling between a fusion device and a subcritical fission reactor driven by neutrons produced by fusion reactions. This kind of systems, in principle, can be useful for different purposes, for example, as energy amplifier or as nuclear waste burner. In this work, the preliminary characteristics and potentialities of a FFH based on a tokamak device characterized by high magnetic field ( B > 9 T) and high-density plasma ( n > 10 14 cm –3 ) have been evaluated. During the years high magnetic field compact tokamaks have been designed, built and operated. Thanks to their characteristics, such as compactness, high field and high density plasma, these devices can produce intense neutron fluxes, and therefore are good candidates to be incorporated in FFH while operating in a sub-ignited regime. An additional advantage is that their design is based on relatively simple existing technology. In this work, a coupling between a tokamak (operating in DD-mode) and a subcritical molten salt fission blanket has been proposed. Molten salt reactor could be adapted for this purpose and could help the hybrid system to increase its energy balance. A model with a molten salt fission blanket ( k eff = 0.92, P = 95 MW) instead of the lithium one, has been considered and studied in terms of neutronic evaluations. Presented preliminary numerical calculations based on a neutron Monte-Carlo code confirm the potentialities of the system.