Energy Balance Within Thermonuclear Reactors

TL;DR

This paper reviews energy loss mechanisms in thermonuclear reactors, emphasizing the importance of minimizing these losses to achieve net energy gain, and discusses the current challenges in modeling conduction power loss.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of energy loss processes in fusion reactors and highlights the need for improved models to predict conduction power loss accurately.

Findings

Neutron radiation accounts for 80% of energy loss in D-T reactors.

Bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation cause 4-75% of energy loss depending on reactor type.

Conduction power loss is poorly modeled and critical for reactor viability.

Abstract

Thermonuclear reactors hold a great promise for the future of Humankind. Within Tokamak and Stellarator reactors, plasma is confined by twisted magnetic fields. Reactors which produce fusion energy have existed since Princeton Large Torus Tokamak in 1978, nevertheless in all reactors built up to now, energy loss from plasma vastly exceeded fusion energy production. In order for a thermonuclear power plant to run, generated fusion energy must significantly exceed energy loss by the plasma. There are four processes by which plasma looses energy -- neutron radiation, Bremsstrahlung radiation, synchrotron radiation, and heat conduction to the walls. For a deuterium -- tritium reactor, 80\% of energy produced by fusion is lost to neutron radiation, about 4\% to 6\% of fusion energy is lost to Bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation. For a deuterium -- $^3$He reactor, 5\% of energy produced by fusion is lost to neutron radiation, about 50\% to 75\% of fusion energy is lost to Bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation. Increasing reactor operating temperature decreases loss to Bremsstrahlung radiation and increases loss to synchrotron radiation. Power loss to conduction is either independent or weakly dependent on fusion power production. Up to now, no single theoretical or experimental model can accurately predict conduction power loss. For small Tokamaks and Stellarators, conduction power loss vastly exceeds power generated by fusion. For large and powerful thermonuclear reactors which are yet to be built, conduction power loss should be much lower then power produced by fusion.