C. Eberle

Bio: C. Eberle is an academic researcher from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The author has contributed to research in topics: Fusion power & Divertor. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 4 publications receiving 120 citations.

A fusion reactor design with a liquid first wall and divertor.

Abstract: Within the magnetic fusion energy program in the US, a program called APEX is investigating the use of free flowing liquid surfaces to form the inner surface of the chamber around the plasma. As part of this work, the APEX Team has investigated several possible design implementations and developed a specific engineering concept for a fusion reactor with liquid walls. Our approach has been to utilize an already established design for a future fusion reactor, the ARIES-RS, for the basic chamber geometry and magnetic configuration, and to replace the chamber technology in this design with liquid wall technology for a first wall and divertor and a blanket with adequate tritium breeding. This paper gives an overview of one design with a molten salt (a mixture of lithium, beryllium and sodium fluorides) forming the liquid surfaces and a ferritic steel for the structural material of the blanket. The design point is a reactor with 3840 MW of fusion power of which 767 MW is in the form of energetic particles (alpha power) and 3073 MW is in the form of neutrons. The alpha plus auxiliary power total 909 MW of which 430 MW is radiated from the core mostly onto themore » first wall and the balance flows into the edge plasma and is distributed between the first wall and the divertor. In pursuing the application of liquid surfaces in APEX, the team has developed analytical tools that are significant achievements themselves and also pursued experiments on flowing liquids. This work is covered elsewhere, but the paper will also note several such areas to indicate the supporting science behind the design presented. Significant new work in modeling the plasma edge to understand the interaction of the plasma with the liquid walls is one example. Another is the incorporation of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) effects in fluid modeling and heat transfer.« less

Liquid surface divertor designs for fusion reactors

Abstract: As part of work in the US on free flowing liquid surfaces facing the plasma, we are studying issues of integrating a liquid surface divertor into a configuration based upon an advanced tokamak (ARIES-RS) with the flow of the liquid first wall of molten salt Flinabe (Li, Na, Be fluorides) continuing to become the divertor. We present the design and thermal performance and issues in design integration such as the interactions with the plasma edge. Sn and Sn-Li have also been considered, although the complicated 3-D MHD flows cannot yet be fully modeled.

A fusion chamber design with a liquid first wall and divertor

Abstract: The APEX study is investigating the use of free flowing liquid surfaces to form the inner surface of the chamber around a fusion plasma. We present a design for the chamber of a 3840 MW fusion reactor based on the configuration for the chamber and magnets from ARIES-RS but with a fast flowing molten salt of mixed Be, Li and Na fluorides for the first wall and divertor and molten salt blanket with a ferritic steel structure. Our design analysis includes strong radiation from the core and edge plasma, (liquid) MHD effects on the weakly conducting molten salt, a recycling first wall stream that enables a high efficiency thermal conversion, and evaluations of breeding, neutronics, tritium recovery and safety.

Application of lithium in systems of fusion reactors. 1. Physical and chemical properties of lithium

Abstract: A short analysis of lithium properties presented in this article was carried out in terms of lithium application in various systems of a fusion reactor. The article is intended for use by the engineers and researchers involved in activities on thermonuclear fusion.

Interactions between Liquid-Wall Vapor and Edge Plasmas

Abstract: The use of liquid walls for fusion reactors could help solve problems associated with material erosion from high plasma heat-loads and neutronic activation of structures. A key issue analyzed here is the influx of impurity ions to the core plasma from the vapor of liquid side-walls. Numerical 2D transport simulations are performed for a slab geometry which approximates the edge region of a reactor-size tokamak. Both lithium vapor (from Li or SnLi walls) and fluorine vapor (from Flibe walls) are considered for hydrogen edge-plasmas in the high- and low-recycling regimes. It is found that the minimum influx is from lithium with a low-recycling hydrogen plasma, and the maximum influx occurs for fluorine with a high-recycling hydrogen plasma.