The environmental impact of the thermonuclear fuel cycle, taking into account a number of different factors

Authors: Solovyova V.V.
Published in issue: #3(44)/2020
DOI: 10.18698/2541-8009-2020-3-590
Category: Ecology and Industrial Safety | Chapter: Industrial safety
Keywords: radiation safety, fusion reactor, ecology, power plant, radioactivity, fuel cycle, neutrons, nuclear power
Published: 06.04.2020

The paper is devoted to radiation impacts on the environment, personnel and the public during the operation of a thermonuclear power plant. The material costs and the safety of a thermonuclear reactor are compared with similar characteristics of other energy sources. The options for cooling systems of a thermonuclear power plant and their disadvantages are presented. Various fuel cycles (synthesis reactions occurring in the plasma) are considered. Possible problems associated with the explosion of a superconducting magnet are described. A comparison is made of the radiation hazard of reactors with and without neutron production. The differences between the materials intended for nuclear and thermonuclear reactors are presented. The values are given for the total radioactivity of a number of reactors.

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