Ingaphakathi kwixa elizayo lezixhobo zamandla ezidibanisa amandla enyukliya ziya kuba phakathi kwezona ndawo zinzima zakha zaveliswa eMhlabeni. Yintoni eyomelele ngokwaneleyo ukukhusela ingaphakathi le-reactor edityanisiweyo ukusuka kubushushu obuveliswe yiplasma obufana neeshuttles eziphinda zingene kwiatmosfera yoMhlaba?

Abaphandi be-ORNL basebenzise i-tungsten yendalo (etyheli) kunye ne-tungsten etyetyisiweyo (i-orenji) ukulandelela ukukhukuliseka, ukuthutha kunye nokubekwa kwakhona kwe-tungsten. I-Tungsten yeyona nto iphambili ekukhetheni isikrweqe ngaphakathi kwesixhobo sokudibanisa.

UZeke Unterberg neqela lakhe kwiSebe lezaMandla e-Oak Ridge National Laboratory ngoku basebenza nomgqatswa okhokelayo: itungsten, eneyona ndawo iphezulu yokunyibilika kunye noxinzelelo lomphunga olusezantsi kuzo zonke isinyithi kwitafile yeperiodikhi, kunye namandla aphezulu kakhulu okuqina— iipropathi ezenza ukuba zifaneleke ngokufanelekileyo ukusetyenziswa kakubi ixesha elide. Bagxile ekuqondeni indlela i-tungsten esebenza ngayo ngaphakathi kwi-reactor ye-fusion, isixhobo esifudumeza iiathom ezikhanyayo ukuya kumaqondo obushushu ashushu kunombindi welanga ukuze zidibanise kwaye zikhulule amandla. Irhasi yeHydrojeni kwireactor edityanisiweyo iguqulwa ibe yi-hydrogen plasma-imeko yento equlathe irhasi ene-ionized ngokuyinxenye-ethi ke ivalwe kwindawo encinci ngamasimi anamandla okanye iilaser.

“Awufuni kubeka into kwirector yakho ehlala nje iintsuku ezimbalwa,” utshilo u-Unterberg, isazinzulu sophando esiphezulu kwi-ORNL's Fusion Energy Division. “Ufuna ukuphila ubomi obaneleyo. Sibeka i-tungsten kwiindawo apho silindele ukuba kuya kubakho ibhombu yeplasma ephezulu kakhulu. ”

Kwi-2016, i-Unterberg kunye neqela laqala ukuqhuba iimvavanyo kwi-tokamak, i-reactor ye-fusion esebenzisa i-magnetic-fields ukuze iqulethe i-ring of plasma, kwi-DIII-D National Fusion Facility, i-Ofisi ye-DOE yeSayensi indawo yomsebenzisi eSan Diego. Babefuna ukwazi enoba i<em>tungsten yayinokusetyenziswa kusini na ukuvalela igumbhi le<em>tokamak—ukulikhusela ekutshatyalalisweni ngokukhawuleza okubangelwa yimpembelelo yesiyilelo-gazi—ngaphandle kokungcolisa isiyilelo-gazi ngokwaso. Olu ngcoliso, ukuba alulawulwa ngokwaneleyo, lunokuthi ekugqibeleni lucime ukusabela kodibaniso.

"Sasizama ukufumanisa ukuba zeziphi iindawo zegumbi eziza kuba zibi kakhulu: apho i-tungsten yayinokuthi ivelise ukungcola okunokuthi kungcolise i-plasma," kusho u-Unterberg.

Ukufumana oko, abaphandi basebenzise i-isotope ephuculweyo ye-tungsten, i-W-182, kunye ne-isotope engaguqukiyo, ukulandelela ukukhukuliseka, ukuthutha kunye nokubekwa kwakhona kwe-tungsten ngaphakathi kwe-divertor. Ukujonga ukuhamba kwe-tungsten ngaphakathi kwe-divertor-indawo engaphakathi kwegumbi le-vacuum eyenzelwe ukuguqula i-plasma kunye nokungcola-kwabanika umfanekiso ocacileyo wendlela ekhupha ngayo kwiindawo ngaphakathi kwe-tokamak kwaye isebenzisana ne-plasma. Isotope ye-tungsten etyetyisiweyo ineempawu ezifanayo zomzimba kunye neekhemikhali njenge-tungsten eqhelekileyo. Uvavanyo lwe-DIII-D lusebenzise izifakelo zentsimbi ezincinci ezigqunywe nge-isotopu etyetyisiweyo ebekwe kufutshane, kodwa hayi kwindawo eshushu yokufudumeza ubushushu, indawo ekwinqanawa ebizwa ngokuba yi-divertor ekujoliswe kuyo. Ngokwahlukileyo, kwindawo ye-divertor ene-fluxes ephezulu, indawo yogwayimbo, abaphandi basebenzise ukufakwa kunye ne-isotope engalungiswanga. Intsalela yegumbi le-DIII-D ixhotyiswe ngegraphite.

Olu cwangciso luvumele abaphandi ukuba baqokelele iisampulu kuphando olukhethekileyo olufakwe okwethutyana kwigumbi lokulinganisa ukugeleza kokungcola ukuya nokusuka kwisikrweqe senqanawa, nto leyo enokuthi ibanike umbono ochanekileyo wokuba i-tungsten ivuze phi isuka kwi-divertor ukuya kwigumbi. yavela.

“Ukusebenzisa isotopu ephuculweyo kusinike umnwe owahlukileyo,” utshilo u-Unterberg.

Yayiluvavanyo lokuqala olunjalo olwenziwe kwisixhobo sokudibanisa. Olunye usukelo yayikukumisela ezona mathiriyeli zibalaseleyo kunye nendawo yezi zixhobo zokuxhobisa igumbi, ngelixa ugcina ukungcola okubangelwa kukudibana kwe-plasma-material ubukhulu becala equlethwe kwi-divertor kwaye ingangcolisi iplasma engundoqo esetyenziswa nguzibuthe esetyenziselwa ukuvelisa ukudibanisa.

Enye inkathazo ngoyilo kunye nokusebenza kwee-divertors kukungcoliseka kokungcola kwiplasma okubangelwa iindlela ze-edge-localized, okanye ii-ELMs. Ezinye zezi ziganeko zikhawulezayo, ezinamandla amakhulu, ezifana nokuvutha kwelanga, zingonakalisa okanye zitshabalalise izinto zenqanawa ezifana neepleyiti zokuphambukisa. Ukuphindaphinda kwee-ELM, amaxesha ngesekhondi ezi ziganeko zenzeka, luphawu lobungakanani bamandla akhutshwe kwi-plasma ukuya eludongeni. Ii-ELM ze-high-frequency ze-ELM zinokukhupha ixabiso eliphantsi le-plasma ngokuqhuma, kodwa ukuba ii-ELM zingaphantsi rhoqo, i-plasma kunye namandla akhutshiweyo ngokuqhuma okukhulu, kunye nethuba elikhulu lokulimala. Uphando lwakutsha nje lujonge iindlela zokulawula kunye nokwandisa ukuphindaphindwa kwee-ELM, ezifana nenaliti ye-pellet okanye imimandla yamagnetic eyongezelelweyo kubukhulu obuncinci kakhulu.

Iqela le-Unterberg lifumene, njengoko belilindele, ukuba i-tungsten kude ne-high-flux strike-point yandisa kakhulu amathuba okungcola xa ibonakaliswe kwii-ELM eziphantsi-frequency ezinomxholo ophezulu wamandla kunye noqhagamshelwano lomphezulu kwisiganeko ngasinye. Ukongeza, iqela lifumanise ukuba le ndawo ekujoliswe kuyo yi-divertor ithande ukungcolisa i-SOL nangona ngokubanzi ine-fluxes esezantsi kunendawo yogwayimbo. Ezi ziphumo zibonakala ziphikisana ziqinisekiswa yimizamo eqhubekayo yokulinganisa i-divertor ngokumalunga nale projekthi kunye nemifuniselo yexesha elizayo kwi-DIII-D.

Le projekthi yayibandakanya iqela leengcali ezivela kulo lonke elaseMntla Melika, kubandakanywa nabadibanisi basePrinceton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, ORNL, General Atomics, iYunivesithi yaseAuburn, iYunivesithi yaseCalifornia eSan Diego, iYunivesithi yaseToronto, IYunivesithi yaseTennessee-Knoxville, kunye neYunivesithi yaseWisconsin-Madison, njengoko ibonelele ngesixhobo esibalulekileyo sophando lwe-plasma-material interaction. I-Ofisi yeNzululwazi ye-DOE (iSayensi yaMandla e-Fusion) ibonelele ngenkxaso kolu phando.

Iqela lipapashe uphando kwi-intanethi ekuqaleni kwalo nyaka kwijenaliiNyukliya Fusion.

Uphando lunokuzuza ngokukhawuleza i-Joint European Torus, okanye iJET, kunye ne-ITER, ngoku ephantsi kokwakhiwa eCadarache, eFransi, zombini ezisebenzisa izixhobo ze-tungsten kwi-divertor.

"Kodwa sijonge izinto ezingaphaya kwe-ITER kunye neJET-sijonge kwi-fusion reactors yekamva," utshilo u-Unterberg. "Kuphi na apho kungcono ukubeka i-tungsten, kwaye akufanele uyibeke phi i-tungsten? Eyona njongo yethu iphambili kukuxhobisa izixhobo zethu zokudibanisa, xa zisiza, ngendlela ekrelekrele. ”

U-Unterberg uthe i-ORNL ekhethekileyo yeQela le-Isotopes eZinzile, ephuhlise kwaye yavavanya i-isotope etyetyisiweyo yokugquma phambi kokuyibeka ngendlela eluncedo kuvavanyo, yenza ukuba uphando lwenzeke. Loo isotope ngengazange ifumaneke naphi na kodwa kwiZiko leSizwe loPhuhliso lwe-Isotope e-ORNL, egcina isitokhwe phantse yonke into eyahlulwe ngokwendalo, utshilo.

"I-ORNL inobuchule obukhethekileyo kunye neminqweno ethile yolu hlobo lophando," kusho u-Unterberg. "Sinelifa elide lokuphuhlisa ii-isotopes kunye nokusebenzisa ezo zikuzo zonke iintlobo zophando kwizicelo ezahlukeneyo kwihlabathi liphela."

Ukongeza, i-ORNL ilawula i-US ITER.

Okulandelayo, iqela liya kujonga indlela yokubeka i-tungsten kwiziphambukisi ezimile ngokwahlukileyo kunokuchaphazela ukungcoliseka kombindi. Iijiyometri ezahlukeneyo zedivertor zinokucutha ifuthe le-plasma-material interactions kwiplasma engundoqo, baye bayithiyori. Ukwazi eyona milo ifanelekileyo yesiphambukisi—nto leyo eyimfuneko kwisixhobo seplasma esinemagnethi—kuya kubeka izazinzulu inyathelo elinye kufutshane nesixhobo esisebenza kwiplasma.

"Ukuba thina, njengoluntu, sithi sifuna amandla enyukliya enzeke, kwaye sifuna ukuya kwinqanaba elilandelayo," utshilo u-Unterberg, "ukudibanisa kuya kuba yinto engcwele."