Reactor Physics and the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Md. Minhaj Ahmed
Md Minhaj Ahmed, Department of Physics, Osmania University, Hyderabad (Telangana), India.
Manuscript received on 10 November 2013 | Revised Manuscript received on 18 November 2013 | Manuscript Published on 30 November 2013 | PP: 7-11 | Volume-3 Issue-6, November 2013 | Retrieval Number: F1295113613/13©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Questions regarding the feasibility of fusion power are examined, taking into account fuel cycles and breeding reactions, energy balance and reactor conditions, approaches to fusion, magnetic confinement, magneto hydro dynamic instabilities, micro instabilities, and the main technological problems which have to be solved. Basic processes and balances in fusion reactors are considered along with some aspects of the neutronics in fusion reactors, the physics of neutral beam heating, plasma heating by relativistic electrons, radiofrequency heating of fusion plasmas, adiabatic compression and ignition of fusion reactors, dynamics and control of fusion reactors, and aspects of thermal efficiency and waste heat. Attention is also given to fission-fusion hybrid systems, inertial-confinement fusion systems, the radiological aspects of fusion reactors, design considerations of fusion reactors, and a comparative study of the approaches to fusion power. The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the front end, which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the service period in which the fuel is used during reactor operation, and steps in the back end, which are necessary to safely manage, contain, and either reprocess or dispose of spent nuclear fuel. If spent fuel is not reprocessed, the fuel cycle is referred to as an open fuel cycle (or a once-through fuel cycle); if the spent fuel is reprocessed, it is referred to as a closed fuel cycle.
Keywords: Nuclear Power Reactors, Reactor Technology, Technology Assessment, Thermonuclear Power Generation, Controlled Fusion, Feasibility Analysis, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Fusion, Nuclear Physics, Plasma Heating, Plasma Physics, Radiation Damage, Relativistic Particles.
Scope of the Article: Bio-Science and Bio-Technology