Waste expectations of fusion steels under current waste repository criteria

Bailey, G.W.; Vilkhivskaya, O.V.; Gilbert, Mark R.

doi:10.1088/1741-4326/abc933

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…It has been recognised that unavoidable impurities in alloying elements may mean that guaranteeing low activation in alloys, including HEAs, is difficult. Even a low-activation steel like EUROFER97 is exceptionally tricky to produce without introducing traces of highly-activating elements like Nb, which are derived from the primary ores and are difficult to remove during manufacture [ 15 , 156 ]. One might imagine that in HEAs, with high concentrations of many different elements each with their own impurities, the problem is likely to be exacerbated.…”

Section: Challenges and Opportunities For Hea Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Entropy Alloys for Advanced Nuclear Applications

Pickering

Carruthers

Barron

et al. 2021

Entropy

195

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The expanded compositional freedom afforded by high-entropy alloys (HEAs) represents a unique opportunity for the design of alloys for advanced nuclear applications, in particular for applications where current engineering alloys fall short. This review assesses the work done to date in the field of HEAs for nuclear applications, provides critical insight into the conclusions drawn, and highlights possibilities and challenges for future study. It is found that our understanding of the irradiation responses of HEAs remains in its infancy, and much work is needed in order for our knowledge of any single HEA system to match our understanding of conventional alloys such as austenitic steels. A number of studies have suggested that HEAs possess ‘special’ irradiation damage resistance, although some of the proposed mechanisms, such as those based on sluggish diffusion and lattice distortion, remain somewhat unconvincing (certainly in terms of being universally applicable to all HEAs). Nevertheless, there may be some mechanisms and effects that are uniquely different in HEAs when compared to more conventional alloys, such as the effect that their poor thermal conductivities have on the displacement cascade. Furthermore, the opportunity to tune the compositions of HEAs over a large range to optimise particular irradiation responses could be very powerful, even if the design process remains challenging.

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Section: Challenges and Opportunities For Hea Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Entropy Alloys for Advanced Nuclear Applications

Pickering

Carruthers

Barron

et al. 2021

Entropy

195

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show abstract

“…We haven't costed managing the nuclear waste for fusion power here, but support the intention for fusion technology to have no high level waste after 100 years (i.e. after the iron and cobalt isotopes have decayed) [26,11,27,204] which brings public support for nuclear fusion power with it and remains essential [205].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Training and Upgrading Tokamak Power Plants with Remountable Superconducting Magnets

L.¹,

Surrey²,

Naish³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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All high field superconductors producing magnetic fields above 12 T are brittle. Nevertheless, they will probably be the materials of choice in commercial tokamaks because the fusion power density in a tokamak scales as the fourth power of magnetic field. Here we propose using robust, ductile superconductors during the reactor commissioning phase in order to avoid brittle magnet failure while operational safety margins are being established. Here we use the PROCESS systems code to inform development strategy and to provide detailed capital-cost-minimised tokamak power plant designs. We propose building a 'demonstrator' tokamak with an electric power output of 100 MW e , a plasma fusion gain Q plasma = 17, a net gain Q net = 1.3, a cost of electricity (COE) of $ 1148 (2021 US) per MW h (at 75 % availability) and high temperature superconducting operational TF magnets producing 5.4 T on-axis and 12.5 T peak-field. It uses Nb-Ti training magnets and will cost about $ 9.75 Bn (2021 US). An equivalent 500 MW e plant has a COE of $ 608 per MW suggesting that large tokamaks may eventually dominate the commercial market. We consider a range of designs optimised for capital cost (as the reactors considered are pilot plants) consisting of both 100 MW e and 500 MW e plants with each of two approaches for the magnets: training and upgrading. With training magnets, the plant is cost-optimised for REBCO TF magnets. For a 100 MW e plant, the Nb-Ti training magnets typically produce 70 % peak field on the toroidal field coils compared to REBCO magnets, 65 % peak field on the central solenoid and cost ≈ 10 % of the total machine cost. Training magnets could in principle be reused for each of say 10 subsequent (commercial) machines and hence at 1 % bring only marginal additional cost. With upgrade magnets the plant is more expensive -first it is cost-optimised for Nb-Ti and then upgraded to REBCO coils. The upgrade increases the net electrical output from 100 to 280 MW e with an ≈ 25 % increase in reactor capital cost. We also evaluate likely advances in fusion technology and find that technologies on the horizon will probably not bring further large reductions in capital cost, and that REBCO magnets are generally stress-limited rather than current density limited. We conclude that: the fusion community should develop high B c2 alloys specifically for fusion applications; superconductors should be tested under operational-like radiation at cryogenic temperatures; and that we should proceed now with detailed design and construction of a prototype fusion power plant that integrates and de-risks all the key technologies including high temperature superconducting cables and joints using remountable training magnets, and hence is the last tokamak before commercialisation of fusion energy.

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“…Risks may be associated with technologies used to master nature, some known and some unknown. While fusion energy is said to be 'clean' because it results in 'relatively little' radioactive waste, peer-reviewed scientific literature brings into questions these assumptions, stating that there will be radioactive waste that presents risks to society (Bailey et al, 2021). Nicholas et al (2021) explain that dealing with radioactive waste disposal needs to be taken into account, and they only see a future for fusion if deep geological disposal of radioactive waste is socially acceptable.…”

Section: Arguesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting Marcuse’s Technological Rationality: Nuclear Fusion Advancement in the Age of Climate Change

2023

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In December 2022, a scientific breakthrough in fusion energy resulted in widespread media attention with a focus on fusion as a key strategy to mitigate climate change. In this article, we draw from Herbert Marcuse’s work on technological rationality to examine fusion technology in this context. We explore if fusion is seen as a way to master nature, if it protects current power relations, and if a focus on fusion might detract attention and resources from alternatives. Illustrating technological rationality, much attention is being given to the potential achievement of fusion energy, it is being championed by already powerful economic actors, and despite that it is unlikely to be ready in time to support necessary climate mitigation, it may be detracting support for more effective and just strategies that already exist. In this context, framing fusion as a solution to climate change represents what Marcuse calls ‘one-dimensional thinking’.

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Waste expectations of fusion steels under current waste repository criteria

Cited by 26 publications

References 42 publications

High-Entropy Alloys for Advanced Nuclear Applications

High-Entropy Alloys for Advanced Nuclear Applications

Training and Upgrading Tokamak Power Plants with Remountable Superconducting Magnets

Revisiting Marcuse’s Technological Rationality: Nuclear Fusion Advancement in the Age of Climate Change

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