US 4,663,110 AGranted

Fusion blanket and method for producing directly fabricable fissile fuel

AssigneeGA Technologies Inc.

InventorEdward T. Cheng

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Abstract

A fusion blanket includes a chamber wall, a multiplication section, an enrichment section and a reflector in radially outward succession, respectively. The chamber wall isolates the fusion reaction chamber from the remainder of the blanket. Fusion neutrons bombard atoms in the multiplication section to free further neutrons which are then available for breeding fuel. The enrichment section contains fertile fuel of sufficient dilution to maximize the enrichment rate and minimize fast fission. Materials may be included in the multiplication section and the enrichment section to reduce thermal neutron flux, thereby suppressing thermal fission. Additionally, tritium may be bred in both sections. The fertile material is exposed to neutron bombardment until the desired enrichment is achieved. The particles may be removed and mixed to minimize nonuniformities in enrichment. The particles may then be fabricated into fuel elements for fission reactors.

Claims2

Dependent claims

A method of making fuel elements for a fission reactor by breeding fissile fuel in a tritium breeding fusion reactor having a blanket with an enrichment section comprising the following steps:

(a) incorporating particles of fertile material and particles of a thermal neutron absorber into said enrichment section in such proportion that said particles of fertile maeterial make up less than 3% by volume of said enrichment section, said thermal neutron absorber functioning at least in part to suppress thermal fissioning of said bred fissile fuel,
(b) bombarding said particles with neutrons generated by fusion, and adding additional particles of said thermal neutron absorber as the fissile material content of said enrichment section increases to continue to suppress thermal fissioning of said bred fissile fuel,
(c) removing said particles from said blanket after sufficient time that the fuel particles are enriched to about 4%, said time being less than about eight months from the time the generation of neutrons by fusion is commenced,
(d) after said step of removing, mixing said particles to compensate for nonuniformities in enrichment introduced as a function of location of particles within the enrichment section, and
(e) fabricating said particles to form at least one fuel element.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/736,962Filed 21 May 1985 · division
Priority: 12 Mar 1982
Granted: 5 May 1987
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G21C 1/022
Fast fission reactors, i.e. reactors not using a moderator ; Metal cooled reactors; Fast breeders: characterised by the design or properties of…
G21B 1/01
Thermonuclear fusion reactors: hybrid fission-fusion nuclear reactors
Y02E 30/10
Energy generation of nuclear origin: nuclear fusion reactors
Y02E 30/30
Energy generation of nuclear origin: nuclear fission reactors