ʻO ka loko o ka nuklea fusion energy reactors e hiki mai ana i waena o nā kaiapuni ʻoi loa i hana ʻia ma ka Honua. He aha ka mea ikaika e pale aku ai i loko o kahi reactor fusion mai nā kahe wela i hana ʻia e ka plasma e like me nā kaʻa kaʻa e komo hou ana i ka lewa honua?

Ua hoʻohana nā mea noiʻi ʻo ORNL i ka tungsten maoli (melemele) a me ka tungsten waiwai (ʻalani) e ʻimi i ka ʻino, lawe ʻia a me ka hoʻihoʻi hou ʻana o ka tungsten. ʻO Tungsten ke koho alakaʻi no ka pale ʻana i loko o kahi hāmeʻa fusion.

Ke hana nei ʻo Zeke Unterberg a me kāna hui ma ka 'Oihana o Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory me ka moho alakaʻi: tungsten, nona ka helu heheʻe kiʻekiʻe loa a me ke kaomi mahu haʻahaʻa o nā metala āpau ma ka papaʻaina manawa, a me ka ikaika tensile kiʻekiʻe loa— nā waiwai i kūpono i ka lawe ʻana i ka hoʻomāinoino no ka manawa lōʻihi. Ke nānā nei lākou i ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana i ka hana ʻana o ka tungsten i loko o kahi reactor fusion, kahi mea e hoʻomehana ai i nā ʻātoma māmā i nā mahana i ʻoi aku ka wela ma mua o ke kumu o ka lā i hui ai lākou a hoʻokuʻu i ka ikehu. Hoʻololi ʻia ke kinoea hydrogen i loko o kahi reactor hoʻohui i ka hydrogen plasma—he ʻano mea i loaʻa i kahi kinoea ionized hapa—a laila hoʻopaʻa ʻia i loko o kahi wahi liʻiliʻi e nā māla magnetic ikaika a i ʻole nā ​​lasers.

"ʻAʻole ʻoe makemake e hoʻokomo i kahi mea i loko o kāu reactor i mau lā ʻelua wale nō," wahi a Unterberg, kahi ʻepekema noiʻi koʻikoʻi ma ORNL's Fusion Energy Division. "Makemake ʻoe e loaʻa ka manawa kūpono. Hoʻokomo mākou i ka tungsten i nā wahi a mākou e manaʻo nei e piʻi nui ʻia ka pōʻino plasma.

I ka makahiki 2016, ua hoʻomaka ʻo Unterberg a me ka hui e hana i nā hoʻokolohua ma ka tokamak, kahi reactor fusion e hoʻohana ana i nā māla magnetic i loko o ke apo o ka plasma, ma ka DIII-D National Fusion Facility, kahi DOE Office of Science mea hoʻohana ma San Diego. Ua makemake lākou e ʻike inā hiki ke hoʻohana ʻia ka tungsten no ke kāhiko ʻana i ke keʻena ʻūhā o ka tokamak - pale iā ia mai ka luku wikiwiki ʻia e nā hopena o ka plasma-me ka hoʻohaumia ʻole ʻana i ka plasma ponoʻī. ʻO kēia haumia, inā ʻaʻole lawa ka mālama ʻia, hiki ke hoʻopau i ka hopena fusion.

"Ke hoʻāʻo nei mākou e hoʻoholo i nā wahi i loko o ke keʻena e ʻino loa: kahi i hiki ai i ka tungsten ke hana i nā mea haumia hiki ke hoʻohaumia i ka plasma," wahi a Unterberg.

No ka ʻike ʻana i kēlā, ua hoʻohana nā mea noiʻi i kahi isotope waiwai o tungsten, W-182, me ka isotope i hoʻololi ʻole ʻia, e ʻimi i ka erosion, lawe a me ka redeposition o ka tungsten mai loko o ka divertor. Ke nānā aku nei i ka neʻe ʻana o ka tungsten i loko o ka divertor-he wahi i loko o ke keʻena māmā i hoʻolālā ʻia e hoʻohuli i ka plasma a me nā haumia-ua hāʻawi iā lākou i kahi kiʻi ʻoi aku ka maopopo o ke ʻano o ka haki ʻana mai nā ʻili i loko o ka tokamak a pili pū me ka plasma. ʻO ka isotope tungsten i hoʻonui ʻia he ʻano kino like a me nā waiwai kemika e like me ka tungsten maʻamau. Ua hoʻohana nā hoʻokolohua ma DIII-D i nā mea hoʻokomo metala liʻiliʻi i uhi ʻia me ka isotope i hoʻonui ʻia i hoʻonoho ʻia ma kahi kokoke, akā ʻaʻole ma ka wahi wela kiʻekiʻe loa, kahi ʻāpana o ka moku i kapa ʻia ʻo ka divertor far-target region. Ma kahi kaʻawale, ma kahi ʻāpana divertor me nā kahe kiʻekiʻe loa, ʻo ka strike-point, ua hoʻohana nā mea noiʻi i nā mea hoʻokomo me ka isotope unmodified. ʻO ke koena o ke keʻena DIII-D i kāhiko ʻia me ka graphite.

Ua ʻae kēia hoʻonohonoho i ka poʻe noiʻi e hōʻiliʻili i nā laʻana ma nā ʻimi kūikawā i hoʻokomo ʻia i loko o ke keʻena no ke ana ʻana i ka kahe o ka haumia a i ka pale o ka moku, hiki iā lākou ke hāʻawi iā lākou i ka manaʻo pololei loa i kahi o ka tungsten i lele mai ka divertor i loko o ke keʻena. kumu mai.

"ʻO ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka isotope waiwai i hāʻawi iā mākou i kahi manamana lima kūʻokoʻa," wahi a Unterberg.

ʻO ia ka hoʻokolohua mua loa i hana ʻia i loko o kahi hāmeʻa fusion. ʻO kahi pahuhopu ka hoʻoholo ʻana i nā mea maikaʻi loa a me nā wahi no kēia mau mea no ka pale ʻana i ke keʻena, ʻoiai ka mālama ʻana i nā haumia i hoʻokumu ʻia e ka pilina o ka plasma-material i loko o ka divertor a ʻaʻole e hoʻohaumia i ka plasma core magnet-confined i hoʻohana ʻia e hana i ka fusion.

ʻO kekahi pilikia me ka hoʻolālā ʻana a me ka hana ʻana o nā divertors, ʻo ka haumia ʻana o ka plasma i hoʻokumu ʻia e nā modes edge-localized, a i ʻole ELM. ʻO kekahi o kēia mau hanana wikiwiki, ikaika nui, e like me nā lapalapa o ka lā, hiki ke hōʻino a hoʻopau paha i nā ʻāpana moku e like me nā papa divertor. ʻO ke alapine o nā ELM, nā manawa i kēlā me kēia kekona i kēia mau hanana, he hōʻailona ia o ka nui o ka ikehu i hoʻokuʻu ʻia mai ka plasma a i ka paia. Hiki i nā ELM kiʻekiʻe ke hoʻokuʻu i ka plasma haʻahaʻa no kēlā me kēia pele, akā inā emi pinepine nā ELM, kiʻekiʻe ka plasma a me ka ikehu i hoʻokuʻu ʻia i kēlā me kēia pele, me ka nui o ka pōʻino. Ua nānā ka noiʻi hou i nā ala e hoʻomalu a hoʻonui i ka alapine o nā ELM, e like me ka pellet injection a i ʻole nā ​​pā magnetic hou i nā liʻiliʻi liʻiliʻi.

Ua ʻike ka hui o Unterberg, e like me kā lākou i manaʻo ai, ʻo ka loaʻa ʻana o ka tungsten mai kahi kiʻekiʻe-flux strike-point i hoʻonui nui i ka hiki ke hoʻohaumia ke ʻike ʻia i nā ELM haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa i ʻoi aku ka kiʻekiʻe o ka ikehu a me ka pilina ma luna o kēlā me kēia hanana. Eia hou, ua ʻike ka hui ua ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi o kēia ʻāpana hoʻohuli i ka SOL ʻoiai he haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa ka haʻahaʻa ma mua o ka pae kuʻi. Ke hōʻoia ʻia nei kēia mau hopena like ʻole e ka hoʻohālikelike hoʻohālike e pili ana i kēia papahana a me nā hoʻokolohua e hiki mai ana ma DIII-D.

Ua pili kēia papahana i kahi hui o nā loea mai ʻAmelika ʻĀkau, me nā mea hana mai Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, ORNL, General Atomics, Auburn University, ke Kulanui o Kaleponi ma San Diego, ke Kulanui o Toronto, ke Kulanui o Tennessee—Knoxville, a me ke Kulanui o Wisconsin-Madison, no ka mea ua hāʻawi ʻo ia i mea hana koʻikoʻi no ka noiʻi ʻana i ka plasma-material. Ua kākoʻo ke Keʻena ʻEpekema o DOE (Fusion Energy Sciences) i ke aʻo ʻana.

Ua paʻi ka hui i ka noiʻi ma ka pūnaewele ma mua o kēia makahiki ma ka puke paiHui Nukelea.

Hiki i ka noiʻi ke hoʻopōmaikaʻi koke i ka Joint European Torus, a i ʻole JET, a me ITER, i kēia manawa ke kūkulu ʻia nei ma Cadarache, Palani, ʻo ia mau mea ʻelua e hoʻohana i ka pale kaua tungsten no ka divertor.

"Akā ke nānā nei mākou i nā mea ma waho o ITER a me JET - ke nānā nei mākou i nā mea hoʻohuihui o ka wā e hiki mai ana," wahi a Unterberg. "Ma hea kahi maikaʻi e waiho ai i ka tungsten, a ma hea ʻoe e hoʻokomo ʻole ai i ka tungsten? ʻO kā mākou pahuhopu nui ke kāhiko ʻana i kā mākou fusion reactors, ke hele mai lākou, ma ke ala akamai. "

Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Unterberg, ʻo Stable Isotopes Group o ORNL, nāna i hoʻomohala a hoʻāʻo i ka uhi isotope waiwai ma mua o ka hoʻokomo ʻana i kahi ʻano kūpono no ka hoʻokolohua, hiki i ka noiʻi. ʻAʻole i loaʻa kēlā isotope ma nā wahi āpau akā mai ka National Isotope Development Center ma ORNL, e mālama ana i kahi waihona o nā mea āpau i hoʻokaʻawale ʻia, wahi āna.

"He ʻike kūikawā ko ORNL a me nā makemake kūikawā no kēia ʻano noiʻi," wahi a Unterberg. "He hoʻoilina lōʻihi ko mākou no ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā isotopes a me ka hoʻohana ʻana i ia mau mea ma nā ʻano noiʻi āpau i nā noi like ʻole a puni ka honua."

Eia hou, mālama ʻo ORNL iā US ITER.

Ma hope aʻe, e nānā ka hui i ke ʻano o ka hoʻokomo ʻana i ka tungsten i loko o nā mea hoʻololi ʻokoʻa e pili ai i ka haumia o ke kumu. Hiki i nā geometries divertor ʻokoʻa ke hōʻemi i nā hopena o ka pilina plasma-material ma ka plasma kumu, ua manaʻo lākou. ʻO ka ʻike ʻana i ke ʻano maikaʻi loa no kahi divertor - kahi mea pono no kahi mea hana plasma magnetic-confined - e hoʻokomo i nā ʻepekema i kahi ʻanuʻu kokoke i kahi reactor plasma ola.

"Inā mākou, ma ke ʻano he hui, e ʻōlelo mākou makemake mākou i ka ikehu nuklea e hiki mai, a makemake mākou e neʻe i ka pae aʻe," wahi a Unterberg, "ʻo ka hui ʻana ka grail hemolele."