ISSN:
1573-8205
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
,
Physics
Notes:
Conclusions It follows from the published data on the selection of lithium materials for the breeding zone of a thermonuclear reactor [43–45] that the tritium production involves large-scale radiochemical installations for the conversion of the irradiated material and the extraction of the pure isotope which is present in extreme dilution. When such radiochemical installations are built, a set of basic technological problems must be solved (continuously maintaining the purity of the lithium materials, removing the radiolysis products, stabilization of the physicochemical properties of the material, removing the corrosion products of the materials used for the construction); one must also solve problems related to personnel safety and the protection of the environment from the emission of the radioactive isotope. Problems related to the construction of apparatus for the processes occurring at a high temperature must be solved. When from this viewpoint lithium materials and their irradiation conditions are selected, one must recall that solid lithium materials (ceramics, alloys) and melts of salts have advantages over metallic lithium for the very reason that they eliminate operations involving a flammable material. The use of solid lithium materials or of molten systems as a neutron-absorbing material in the breeding zone of the blanket depends upon the characteristics of the tritium-breeding zone in terms of neutron physics and upon the thermophysical parameters. At the present time nuclear physics research, physicochemical research, and radiochemical research is done on systems with irradiated lithium materials. Methods are developed for separating the tritium which is present in various states at relatively low concentrations. The goal of this work is not only to obtain answers to the technological problems with the greatest reliability but also to effectively select a lithium material suitable for building the tritium cycle of a thermonuclear station as a whole. In the ensuing stage of the research work, when the blanket zone will be drafted, one must evaluate the various conditions of operation of the breeding zone with metallic lithium, diluted fluorine systems, and solid ceramic materials. At the present time, the selection of the blanket design and the construction of the breeding zone, as well as the selection of the lithium material providing the highest tritium production coefficient, are the basic problems among the engineering problems of thermonuclear fusion and the technological and economical aspects of the forthcoming developments.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01119270
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