Ciki na makamashin nukiliyar na gaba zai kasance cikin mafi munin yanayi da aka taɓa samarwa a duniya. Menene ƙarfin da zai iya kare ciki na fusion reactor daga ɗumbin zafi da ake samar da plasma daidai da na'urorin jigilar sararin samaniya da ke sake shiga sararin duniya?

Masu bincike na ORNL sun yi amfani da tungsten na halitta (rawaya) da kuma wadatar tungsten (orange) don gano zaizaye, sufuri da sake fasalin tungsten. Tungsten shine babban zaɓi don yin sulke cikin na'urar haɗakarwa.

Zeke Unterberg da tawagarsa a Ma'aikatar Makamashi ta Oak Ridge National Laboratory a halin yanzu suna aiki tare da babban ɗan takara: tungsten, wanda ke da mafi girman narkewa da matsananciyar tururi na duk karafa akan tebur na lokaci-lokaci, kazalika da ƙarfin ƙarfi sosai - kaddarorin da ke sa ya dace da ɗaukar zagi na dogon lokaci. Sun mayar da hankali ne kan fahimtar yadda tungsten zai yi aiki a cikin na'urar da ake kira fusion reactor, na'urar da ke dumama hasken atom zuwa yanayin zafi fiye da tsakiyar rana, ta yadda za su hada da sakin makamashi. Gas na hydrogen a cikin fusion reactor yana jujjuya shi zuwa plasma hydrogen - yanayin kwayoyin halitta wanda ya ƙunshi iskar gas mai ionized partially - wanda sai a keɓe shi a cikin ƙaramin yanki ta hanyar filayen maganadisu ko lasers.

"Ba kwa son saka wani abu a cikin reactor ɗinku wanda zai ɗauki kwanaki biyu kawai," in ji Unterberg, wani babban masanin kimiyyar bincike a ORNL's Fusion Energy Division. "Kuna son samun isasshen rayuwa. Mun sanya tungsten a wuraren da muke tsammanin za a yi tashin bama-bamai sosai a cikin jini."

A cikin 2016, Unterberg da tawagar sun fara gudanar da gwaje-gwaje a cikin tokamak, wani fusion reactor wanda ke amfani da filayen maganadisu don ƙunshe da zoben plasma, a DIII-D National Fusion Facility, ofishin DOE na mai amfani da Kimiyya a San Diego. Suna so su san ko za a iya amfani da tungsten don yin sulke ɗakin ɗakin tokamak - yana kare shi daga halaka da sauri sakamakon tasirin plasma - ba tare da gurɓata plasma da kanta ba. Wannan gurɓacewar, idan ba a gudanar da shi sosai ba, zai iya kashe abin da ya faru a ƙarshe.

Unterberg ya ce "Muna ƙoƙarin tantance wuraren da ke cikin ɗakin zai zama mara kyau: inda tungsten zai iya haifar da ƙazanta da za su iya gurɓata plasma," in ji Unterberg.

Don gano haka, masu binciken sun yi amfani da isotope mai wadatar tungsten, W-182, tare da isotope wanda ba a canza shi ba, don gano yashwar, sufuri da sake fasalin tungsten daga cikin mai karkatar da su. Duban motsin tungsten a cikin mai karkatarwa-wani yanki a cikin ɗakin da aka tsara don karkatar da jini da ƙazanta-ya ba su ƙarin haske game da yadda yake gushewa daga saman cikin tokamak da hulɗa tare da plasma. Isotope mai wadataccen tungsten yana da kaddarorin jiki da sinadarai iri ɗaya kamar tungsten na yau da kullun. Gwaje-gwajen da aka yi a DIII-D sun yi amfani da ƙananan ƙarfe da aka lulluɓe tare da wadataccen isotope wanda aka sanya kusa da, amma ba a, yankin mafi girman zafi ba, yanki a cikin jirgin ruwan da ake kira yankin mai nisa mai nisa. Na dabam, a wani yanki mai karkatar da mafi girman juzu'i, matakin yajin aiki, masu bincike sun yi amfani da abubuwan da aka saka tare da isotope wanda ba a canza shi ba. Ragowar ɗakin DIII-D yana da sulke da graphite.

Wannan saitin ya baiwa masu binciken damar tattara samfurori akan bincike na musamman da aka sanya na ɗan lokaci a cikin ɗakin don auna kwararar ƙazanta zuwa ko daga sulke na jirgin, wanda zai iya ba su ƙarin madaidaicin ra'ayi na inda tungsten da ya zubo daga mai karkatar zuwa cikin ɗakin. asali.

"Amfani da isotope mai wadataccen abu ya ba mu hoton yatsa na musamman," in ji Unterberg.

Wannan shi ne irin wannan gwaji na farko da aka gudanar a cikin na'urar fusion. Buri ɗaya shine don tantance mafi kyawun kayan da wuri don waɗannan kayan don ɗaukar ɗaki, tare da kiyaye ƙazantattun abubuwan da ke haifar da hulɗar plasma-abun da ke ƙunshe da mai karkata kuma baya gurɓata babban plasma mai ɗauke da maganadisu da ake amfani da shi don samar da fusion.

Ɗayan rikitarwa tare da ƙira da aiki na masu karkatawa shine gurɓataccen ƙazanta a cikin plasma wanda ya haifar da yanayin yanki-gefe, ko ELMs. Wasu daga cikin waɗannan abubuwan masu sauri, masu ƙarfin kuzari, kama da walƙiyar hasken rana, na iya lalata ko lalata kayan aikin jirgin ruwa kamar faranti mai karkata. Yawan ELMs, lokutan dakika ɗaya waɗannan abubuwan da suka faru suna faruwa, alama ce ta adadin kuzarin da aka saki daga plasma zuwa bango. Matsakaicin ELMs na iya sakin ƙananan ƙwayar plasma ta kowace fashewa, amma idan ELMs ba su da yawa, plasma da makamashin da aka saki ta kowace fashewa yana da girma, tare da yiwuwar lalacewa. Bincike na baya-bayan nan ya duba hanyoyin sarrafawa da haɓaka mitar ELMs, kamar tare da allurar pellet ko ƙarin filayen maganadisu a ƙananan girma.

Ƙungiyar Unterberg ta gano, kamar yadda suke tsammani, cewa samun tungsten mai nisa daga babban maƙasudin yajin aiki ya ƙaru da yuwuwar kamuwa da cuta lokacin da aka fallasa zuwa ƙananan ELMs masu ƙarancin ƙarfi waɗanda ke da babban abun ciki na makamashi da tuntuɓar ƙasa a kowane taron. Bugu da ƙari, ƙungiyar ta gano cewa wannan yanki mai nisa mai nisa ya fi kamuwa da cutar SOL duk da cewa gabaɗaya yana da ƙananan juzu'i fiye da yajin aikin. Ana tabbatar da waɗannan sakamakon da ake ganin ba su dace ba ta hanyar yunƙurin yin gyare-gyaren masu karkatar da su dangane da wannan aikin da gwaje-gwajen nan gaba akan DIII-D.

Wannan aikin ya ƙunshi ƙungiyar masana daga ko'ina cikin Arewacin Amirka, ciki har da masu haɗin gwiwa daga Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, ORNL, Janar Atomics, Jami'ar Auburn, Jami'ar California a San Diego, Jami'ar Toronto, Jami'ar Tennessee-Knoxville, da Jami'ar Wisconsin-Madison, kamar yadda ya ba da kayan aiki mai mahimmanci don bincike na hulɗar plasma-material. Ofishin Kimiyya na DOE (Fusion Energy Sciences) ya ba da tallafi ga binciken.

Ƙungiyar ta buga bincike akan layi a farkon wannan shekara a cikin mujallarFusion na Nukiliya.

Binciken nan da nan zai iya amfana da haɗin gwiwar Torus na Turai, ko JET, da ITER, yanzu ana kan gina su a Cadarache, Faransa, dukansu suna amfani da sulke na tungsten don mai karkatar da su.

"Amma muna kallon abubuwan da suka wuce ITER da JET - muna kallon abubuwan da ke haifar da haɗin gwiwa na gaba," in ji Unterberg. "A ina ya fi kyau a saka tungsten, kuma a ina bai kamata ku sanya tungsten ba? Burinmu na ƙarshe shine mu sanya makamai masu linzamin mu, idan sun zo, ta hanya mai wayo. "

Unterberg ya ce ORNL na musamman na Stable Isotopes Group, wanda ya haɓaka tare da gwada ingantacciyar murfin isotopes kafin sanya shi a cikin wani nau'i mai amfani don gwajin, ya sa binciken ya yiwu. Wannan isotope ba zai kasance a ko'ina ba sai daga Cibiyar Ci gaban Isotope ta ƙasa a ORNL, wacce ke kula da kusan kowane nau'i na keɓaɓɓu, in ji shi.

"ORNL yana da ƙwarewa na musamman da kuma sha'awar irin wannan bincike," in ji Unterberg. "Muna da dogon tarihin haɓaka isotopes da amfani da waɗanda ke cikin kowane nau'in bincike a aikace-aikace daban-daban a duniya."

Bugu da kari, ORNL yana sarrafa US ITER.

Na gaba, ƙungiyar za ta duba yadda sanya tungsten cikin masu karkatar da sifofi daban-daban na iya shafar gurɓatar tushen. Geometries daban-daban na karkatar da su na iya rage tasirin hulɗar plasma-abun abu akan ainihin plasma, sun yi hasashe. Sanin mafi kyawun sifa don mai karkatarwa—abin da ake bukata don na’urar da ke ɗauke da jini mai maganadisu—zai sanya masana kimiyya mataki ɗaya kusa da na’urar sarrafa plasma mai aiki.

Unterberg ya ce "Idan mu, a matsayinmu na al'umma, muka ce muna son makamashin nukiliya ya faru, kuma muna so mu matsa zuwa mataki na gaba," in ji Unterberg.