Articles about nuclear fusion
21th of November 2024
Article "Comparison of the efficiency of several
controlled neutron sources" Rev. B
Abstract: in this article, it is estimated the global efficiency of several controlled neutron sources, i.e. the ratio between the kinetic energy of neutrons generated by the neutron source and the necessary energy (thermal or more generally electric) to generate these neutrons. As the neutrons could only be used after thermalization, the neutrons energy being indifferent in that case, it is also determined the quantity of energy per neutron generated.
Comparisons will be made between these neutrons sources.
12th of November 2024 (Rev. A) -->
24th of March 2025 (Rev. B)
Article "Proposal of a Deuterium-Deuterium fusion / PWR
fission hybrid reactor" Rev. B (published
in the "World Journal of Nuclear Science and
Technology" journal: https://www.scirp.org/pdf/wjnst2024144_31090543.pdf)
The revision B takes into account an Erratum published in the WJNST journal: https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=141448.
Abstract: this article proposes to associate a Deuterium-Deuterium (D-D) fusion reactor with a PWR (fission Pressurized Water Reactor) in a hybrid reactor. Even if the mechanical gain (Q factor) of the D-D fusion reactor is below the unity and consequently consumes more energy than it supplies, due to the high energy amplification factor of the PWR fission reactor, the global yield is widely superior to 1. As the energy supplied by the fusion reactor is relatively low and as the neutrons supplied are mainly issued from D-D fusions (at 2.45 MeV), the problems of heat flux and neutrons damage connected with materials, as with D-T fusion reactors, are reduced. Of course, there is no need to produce Tritium with this D-D fusion reactor.
This type of reactor is able to incinerate any mixture of natural Uranium, natural Thorium and depleted Uranium (waste issued from enrichment plants), with natural Thorium being the best choice. No enriched fuel is needed. So this type of reactor could constitute a source of energy for several thousands of years, because it is about 90 more efficient that a standard fission reactor, such as a PWR or a Candu one, by extracting almost completely the energy from the fertile materials U238 and Th232.
For about the fission part, the PWR technology is mature. For about the fusion part, it is based on reasonable hypotheses done on present Stellarators projects.
The working of this reactor is continuous, 24 hours a day. In this paper, it will be targeted a reactor able to provide a net electric power of about 1400 MWe, as a big fission power plant.
12th of November 2024 (Rev. A) --> 24th
of March 2025 (Rev. B)
Article "Summarized proposal of a Deuterium-Deuterium
fusion / PWR fission hybrid reactor" Rev. B
Abstract: same as the abstract about "Proposal of a Deuterium-Deuterium fusion / PWR fission hybrid reactor" (above).
10th of January 2024
Article "Proposal of a Deuterium-Deuterium fusion reactor
intended for a large power plant" Rev. A
(published in the "World Journal of Nuclear Science and
Technology" journal: http://doi.org/10.4236/wjnst.2024.141001))
Abstract: this article looks for the necessary conditions to use Deuterium-Deuterium (D-D) fusion for a large power plant. At the moment, for nearly all the projects (JET, ITER…) only the Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) fuel is considered for a power plant. However, as shown in this article, even if a D-D reactor would be necessarily much bigger than a D-T reactor due to the much weaker fusion reactivity of the D-D fusion compared to the D-T fusion, a D-D reactor size would remain under an acceptable size. Indeed, a D-D power plant would be necessarily large and powerful, i.e. the net electric power would be equal to a minimum of 1.2 GWe and preferably above 10 GWe. A D-D reactor would be less complex than a D-T reactor as it is not necessary to obtain Tritium from the reactor itself. It is proposed the same type of reactor yet proposed by the author in a previous article, i.e. a Stellarator “racetrack” magnetic loop. The working of this reactor is continuous.
It is reminded that the Deuterium is relatively abundant on the sea water, and so it constitutes an almost inexhaustible source of energy.
Thanks to secondary fusions (D-T and D-He3) which both occur at an appreciable level above 100 keV, plasma can stabilize around such high equilibrium energy (i.e. between 100 and 150 keV). The mechanical gain (Q) of such reactor increases with the internal pipe radius, up to 4.5 m. A radius of 4.5 m permits a mechanical gain (Q) of about 17 which thanks to a modern thermo-dynamical conversion would lead to convert about 21 % of the thermal power issued from the D-D reactor in a net electric power of 20 GWe. The goal of the article is to create a physical model of the D-D reactor so as to estimate this one without the need of a simulator and finally to estimate the dimensions, power and yield of such D-D reactor for different net electrical powers. The difficulties of the modeling of such reactor are listed in this article and would certainly be applicable to a future D-He3 reactor, if any.
This article has been modified by the
following errata:
Download the erratum 1
(6th of September 2024)
Download the erratum 2
(22th of March 2025)
09th of October 2023
Article "Electrostatic lens sizing" Rev. C2
Abstract : the goal of this presentation is to give some information about the sizing of electrostatic lenses, mainly the focal length. These lenses are used to focus particles beams. It is proposed a small program and formulas taking account different parameters (voltages and configuration) in a relative simple way. A “freeware” program can, possibly, help the reader to more precisely design lenses.
This presentation relies on a personal simulator. A physical explanation of the focusing principle is proposed. It is afterwards explained why a negative potential will also focus an ions beam, even it seems counter-intuitive. It is also shown that the quality of convergence increases with the thickness of the lens.
Moreover, it is described the expected behavior of lenses in presence of a strong space charge, or in presence of two different types of plasma (hot ions/cold electrons plasma and fusion neutral plasma).
21th of February 2021 (rev. A)-->
22th of March 2025 (rev. B)
Article "Proposal of a progressive thermalization fusion
reactor able to produce nuclear fusions with a mechanical gain
superior or equal to 18" Rev. B (Rev. A
published in the journal "Energy and Power
Engineering": https://doi.org/10.4236/epe.2022.141003)
Abstract: in the standard fusion reactors, mainly tokamaks, the mechanical gain obtained is below 1. In the other hand, there are colliding beam fusion reactors, for which, the not neutral plasma and the space charge limits the number of fusions to a very small number. Consequently, the mechanical gain is extremely low.
The proposed reactor is also a colliding beam fusion reactor, configured in Stellarator, using directed beams. D+/T+ ions are injected in opposition, with electrons, at high speeds, so as to form a neutral beam. All these particles turn in a magnetic loop in form of figure of “0” (“racetrack”). The plasma is initially non-thermal but, as expected, rapidly becomes thermal, so all states between non-thermal and thermal exists in this reactor. The main advantage of this reactor is that this plasma after having been brought up near to the optimum conditions for fusion (around 68 keV), is then maintained in this state, thanks to low energy non-thermal ions (<=15 keV). So the energetic cost is low and the mechanical gain (Q) is high (>>1). The goal of this article is to study a different type of fusion reactor, its advantages (no net plasma current inside this reactor, so no disruptive instabilities and consequently a continuous working, a relatively simple way to control the reactor thanks to the particles injectors), and its drawbacks, using a simulator tool. The finding results are valuable for possible future fusion reactors able to generate massive energy in a cleaner and safer way than fission reactors.
Erratum (Rev B): ...
23th of September 2020
Article "Usefulness of the magnetic
« corkscrew » for particles beams" Rev. C
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27th of August 2019
Article "Simulation of a fusion reactor using an
electrons cloud confined in a magnetic bottle" Rev. A
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19th of February 2019
Article "Conclusion about the possibility of fusion by
frontal collision in a linear device" Rev. 3
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22th of July 2018
Article "Proposal of a new type of electrostatic
confinement reactor able to produce nuclear fusions with a yield
superior to 1" Rev. B
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22th of July 2018
Article "Proposal of an electrostatic
confinement reactor able to produce nuclear aneutronic fusions
with a yield superior to 1" Rev. A
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Last updated the 24th of March 2025.