Nyob rau hauv lub neej yav tom ntej nuclear fusion zog reactors yuav yog ib tug hnyav tshaj ib puag ncig puas tau tsim nyob rau hauv lub ntiaj teb no. Dab tsi yog qhov muaj zog txaus los tiv thaiv sab hauv ntawm fusion reactor los ntawm plasma-tsim cua sov fluxes zoo li qhov chaw shuttles rov nkag mus rau lub ntiaj teb huab cua?

ORNL cov kws tshawb fawb tau siv cov tungsten ntuj (daj) thiab ua kom muaj txiaj ntsig tungsten (txiv kab ntxwv) txhawm rau taug qab kev yaig, thauj thiab hloov pauv ntawm tungsten. Tungsten yog qhov kev xaiv ua rau armor sab hauv ntawm cov khoom siv fusion.

Zeke Unterberg thiab nws pab neeg ntawm Lub Tsev Haujlwm Saib Xyuas Hluav Taws Xob Oak Ridge National Laboratory tam sim no ua haujlwm nrog cov neeg sib tw ua thawj coj: tungsten, uas muaj qhov siab tshaj plaws melting point thiab qis tshaj vapor siab ntawm tag nrho cov hlau ntawm lub sij hawm, nrog rau lub zog tensile siab heev- cov khoom uas ua rau nws zoo rau kev tsim txom rau lub sijhawm ntev. Lawv tsom mus rau kev nkag siab txog yuav ua li cas tungsten yuav ua haujlwm hauv lub fusion reactor, ib lub cuab yeej uas ua kom sov lub teeb atoms kom kub dua lub hnub lub hauv paus kom lawv fuse thiab tso tawm lub zog. Hydrogen gas nyob rau hauv lub fusion reactor yog hloov mus rau hydrogen plasma - lub xeev ntawm cov teeb meem uas muaj ib feem ntawm ionized gas - uas yog ces nyob rau hauv ib tug me me cheeb tsam los ntawm muaj zog magnetic teb los yog lasers.

Unterberg, tus kws tshawb fawb laus hauv ORNL's Fusion Energy Division tau hais tias "Koj tsis xav tso ib yam dab tsi hauv koj lub reactor uas tsuas yog kav ob peb hnub xwb." “Koj xav kom muaj lub neej txaus. Peb muab tungsten tso rau hauv thaj chaw uas peb cia siab tias yuav muaj kev foob pob plasma siab heev. "

Hauv xyoo 2016, Unterberg thiab pab pawg tau pib ua qhov kev sim hauv tokamak, lub fusion reactor uas siv cov hlau nplaum sib nqus kom muaj lub nplhaib ntawm cov ntshav, ntawm DIII-D National Fusion Facility, DOE Office of Science neeg siv chaw nyob hauv San Diego. Lawv xav paub seb tungsten puas tuaj yeem siv los ua armor tokamak lub tshuab nqus tsev chamber-tiv thaiv nws los ntawm kev puas tsuaj sai los ntawm cov teebmeem ntawm plasma-tsis hnyav hnyav rau cov ntshav nws tus kheej. Qhov kev kis kab mob no, yog tias tsis tswj hwm txaus, tuaj yeem tua cov tshuaj tiv thaiv fusion.

"Peb tau sim txiav txim siab seb thaj chaw twg hauv chav tsev yuav phem tshwj xeeb: qhov twg cov tungsten feem ntau yuav tsim cov impurities uas tuaj yeem ua rau cov ntshav paug," Unterberg tau hais.

Txhawm rau pom qhov ntawd, cov kws tshawb fawb tau siv cov isotope enriched ntawm tungsten, W-182, nrog rau cov isotope unmodified, mus taug qab qhov yaig, thauj thiab kho dua ntawm tungsten los ntawm hauv lub divertor. Saib ntawm kev txav ntawm tungsten nyob rau hauv lub divertor - ib qho chaw nyob rau hauv lub tshuab nqus tsev chamber tsim los hloov ntshav plasma thiab impurities - muab lawv ib tug meej daim duab ntawm yuav ua li cas nws erodes ntawm qhov chaw nyob rau hauv lub tokamak thiab interacts nrog cov ntshav. Lub enriched tungsten isotope muaj tib lub cev thiab tshuaj lom neeg zoo li niaj zaus tungsten. Cov kev sim ntawm DIII-D siv cov hlau me me me me coated nrog cov isotope enriched nyob ze, tab sis tsis nyob ntawm, qhov chaw kub siab tshaj plaws, ib cheeb tsam hauv lub nkoj feem ntau hu ua divertor thaj tsam deb. Cais, ntawm thaj av divertor nrog lub siab tshaj plaws fluxes, qhov kev tawm tsam-taw tes, cov kws tshawb fawb siv cov ntxig nrog cov isotope tsis hloov. Cov seem ntawm DIII-D chamber yog armored nrog graphite.

Qhov kev teeb tsa no tau tso cai rau cov kws tshawb fawb los sau cov qauv ntawm cov kev sojntsuam tshwj xeeb ib ntus tso rau hauv lub chamber rau kev ntsuas impurity ntws mus rau thiab los ntawm lub nkoj armor, uas tuaj yeem ua rau lawv lub tswv yim meej dua ntawm qhov twg cov tungsten uas tau tawm ntawm lub divertor mus rau hauv lub chamber. keeb kwm.

"Siv lub enriched isotope muab peb tus ntiv tes tshwj xeeb," Unterberg hais.

Nws yog thawj qhov kev sim no ua nyob rau hauv ib qho khoom siv fusion. Ib lub hom phiaj yog los txiav txim siab cov ntaub ntawv zoo tshaj plaws thiab qhov chaw nyob rau cov ntaub ntawv no rau chamber armoring, thaum khaws cov impurities tshwm sim los ntawm cov khoom siv hauv plasma kev sib cuam tshuam loj heev rau cov divertor thiab tsis txhob kis cov hlau nplaum-cov tub ntxhais plasma siv los tsim fusion.

Ib qho teeb meem nrog kev tsim thiab kev ua haujlwm ntawm cov neeg hloov pauv yog impurity contamination nyob rau hauv cov ntshav los ntawm ntug-localized hom, los yog ELMs. Qee qhov xwm txheej ceev ceev, lub zog siab, zoo li lub hnub ci hluav taws xob, tuaj yeem ua rau puas lossis puas tsuaj rau lub nkoj xws li divertor daim hlau. Qhov zaus ntawm ELMs, lub sij hawm ib thib ob cov xwm txheej no tshwm sim, yog qhov qhia txog lub zog tawm ntawm cov ntshav mus rau phab ntsa. High-frequency ELMs tuaj yeem tso cov ntshav qis rau ib qho kev tawg, tab sis yog tias ELMs tsawg zaus, cov ntshav thiab lub zog tso tawm ib qho kev tawg yog siab, nrog rau qhov tshwm sim ntau dua rau kev puas tsuaj. Kev tshawb fawb tsis ntev los no tau saib txoj hauv kev los tswj thiab nce qhov zaus ntawm ELMs, xws li kev txhaj tshuaj pellet lossis ntxiv cov hlau nplaum ntxiv ntawm qhov loj me me.

Unterberg cov pab pawg pom, raws li lawv xav tau, tias muaj tungsten nyob deb ntawm high-flux strike-point ua rau muaj qhov tshwm sim ntawm kev sib kis thaum raug ELMs tsawg uas muaj cov ntsiab lus siab dua thiab kev sib cuag ntawm ib qho xwm txheej. Tsis tas li ntawd, pab pawg tau pom tias qhov kev hloov pauv ntawm thaj chaw deb ntawm lub hom phiaj no muaj ntau dua rau kev sib kis ntawm SOL txawm tias nws feem ntau muaj qis dua li qhov kev tawm tsam. Cov txiaj ntsig zoo li qhov tsis txaus ntseeg no tau raug lees paub los ntawm kev ua qauv hloov pauv txuas ntxiv hauv kev cuam tshuam nrog qhov project no thiab kev sim yav tom ntej ntawm DIII-D.

Txoj haujlwm no koom nrog pab pawg kws tshaj lij los ntawm thoob plaws North America, suav nrog cov koom tes los ntawm Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, ORNL, General Atomics, Auburn University, University of California ntawm San Diego, University of Toronto, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, thiab University of Wisconsin-Madison, raws li nws tau muab cov cuab yeej tseem ceeb rau kev tshawb fawb txog kev sib cuam tshuam ntawm plasma-material. DOE's Office of Science (Fusion Energy Sciences) tau muab kev txhawb nqa rau txoj kev kawm.

Pab neeg no tau tshaj tawm kev tshawb fawb online ua ntej xyoo no hauv phau ntawv xov xwmNuclear Fusion.

Cov kev tshawb fawb tam sim no tuaj yeem tau txais txiaj ntsig tam sim rau Joint European Torus, lossis JET, thiab ITER, tam sim no tab tom tsim kho hauv Cadarache, Fabkis, ob qho tib si siv tungsten armor rau lub divertor.

"Tab sis peb tab tom saib yam dhau ntawm ITER thiab JET-peb tab tom saib fusion reactors ntawm lub neej yav tom ntej," Unterberg hais. "Qhov twg yog qhov zoo tshaj rau muab tungsten, thiab qhov twg koj yuav tsum tsis txhob muab tungsten? Peb lub hom phiaj kawg yog ua kom peb cov fusion reactors, thaum lawv tuaj, hauv txoj kev ntse. "

Unterberg tau hais tias ORNL qhov tshwj xeeb Stable Isotopes Group, uas tau tsim thiab sim cov txheej txheem isotope ua ntej muab tso rau hauv daim ntawv muaj txiaj ntsig zoo rau kev sim, ua rau kev tshawb fawb tau. Tus isotope yuav tsis muaj nyob txhua qhov chaw tab sis los ntawm National Isotope Development Center ntawm ORNL, uas tuav cov khoom khaws cia ntawm yuav luag txhua lub ntsiab lus isotopically sib cais, nws hais.

Unterberg tau hais tias "ORNL muaj kev txawj ntse tshwj xeeb thiab kev xav tshwj xeeb rau hom kev tshawb fawb no," "Peb muaj keeb kwm ntev ntawm kev tsim cov isotopes thiab siv cov hauv txhua yam kev tshawb fawb hauv ntau daim ntawv thov thoob ntiaj teb."

Tsis tas li ntawd, ORNL tswj xyuas US ITER.

Tom ntej no, pab neeg no yuav saib seb yuav ua li cas muab tungsten rau hauv qhov sib txawv zoo li tus divertors yuav cuam tshuam rau kev sib kis ntawm cov tub ntxhais. Cov divertor geometries sib txawv tuaj yeem txo qhov cuam tshuam ntawm cov khoom siv plasma cuam tshuam ntawm cov plasma tseem ceeb, lawv tau theorized. Paub txog qhov zoo tshaj plaws rau lub divertor - ib qho tseem ceeb ntawm cov khoom siv plasma sib nqus - yuav ua rau cov kws tshawb fawb ib kauj ruam los ze zog rau lub plasma reactor.

Unterberg tau hais tias "Yog tias peb, ua ib haiv neeg, hais tias peb xav kom lub zog nuclear tshwm sim, thiab peb xav txav mus rau theem tom ntej," Unterberg tau hais tias, "kev sib txuas yuav yog qhov dawb huv."