Plasma physics and fusion energy

691 Pages·2007·5.199 MB·English

by  Jeffrey P. Freidberg

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PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION ENERGY
There has been an increase in worldwide interest in fusion research over the last decade
duetotherecognitionthatalargenumberofnew,environmentallyattractive,sustainable
energysourceswillbeneededduringthenextcenturytomeettheeverincreasingdemand
forelectricalenergy.Thishasledtoaninternationalagreementtobuildalarge,$4billion,
reactor-scale device known as the “International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor”
(ITER).
PlasmaPhysicsandFusionEnergyisbasedonaseriesoflecturenotesfromgraduate
coursesinplasmaphysicsandfusionenergyatMIT.Itbeginswithanoverviewofworld
energyneeds,currentmethodsofenergygeneration,andthepotentialrolethatfusionmay
playinthefuture.Itcoversenergyissuessuchasfusionpowerproduction,powerbalance,
andthedesignofasimplefusionreactorbeforediscussingthebasicplasmaphysicsissues
facingthedevelopmentoffusionpower–macroscopicequilibriumandstability,transport,
andheating.
Thisbookwillbeofinteresttograduatestudentsandresearchersinthefieldofapplied
physicsandnuclearengineering.Alargenumberofproblemsaccumulatedovertwodecades
ofteachingareincludedtoaidunderstanding.
Jeffrey P. Freidberg is a Professor and previous Head of the Nuclear Science and
Engineering Department at MIT. He is also an Associate Director of the Plasma Science
andFusionCenter,whichisthemainfusionresearchlaboratoryatMIT.

PLASMA PHYSICS AND
FUSION ENERGY
JeffreyP.Freidberg
MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
TheEdinburghBuilding,CambridgeCB28RU,UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521851077
© J. Freidberg 2007
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisionof
relevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplace
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
Firstpublishedinprintformat 2007
ISBN-13 978-0-511-27375-9 eBook(EBL)
ISBN-10 0-511-27375-4 eBook(EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-85107-7 hardback
ISBN-10 0-521-85107-6 hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurls
forexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,anddoesnot
guaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
For Karen

Contents
Preface page xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Units xvii
PartI Fusionpower 1
1 Fusionandworldenergy 3
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 Theexistingenergyoptions 4
1.3 Theroleoffusionenergy 16
1.4 Overallsummaryandconclusions 19
Bibliography 20
2 Thefusionreaction 21
2.1 Introduction 21
2.2 Nuclearvs.chemicalreactions 21
2.3 Nuclearenergybyfission 23
2.4 Nuclearenergybyfusion 24
2.5 Thebindingenergycurveandwhyithastheshapeitdoes 29
2.6 Summary 35
Bibliography 35
Problems 36
3 Fusionpowergeneration 37
3.1 Introduction 37
3.2 Theconceptsofcrosssection,meanfreepath,andcollision
frequency 38
3.3 Thereactionrate 42
3.4 Thedistributionfunctions,thefusioncrosssections,andthefusion
powerdensity 46
3.5 Radiationlosses 51
3.6 Summary 56
Bibliography 57
Problems 58
vii
viii Contents
4 Powerbalanceinafusionreactor 60
4.1 Introduction 60
4.2 The0-Dconservationofenergyrelation 60
4.3 Generalpowerbalanceinmagneticfusion 62
4.4 Steadystate0-Dpowerbalance 62
4.5 Powerbalanceintheplasma 65
4.6 Powerbalanceinareactor 69
4.7 Timedependentpowerbalanceinafusionreactor 74
4.8 Summaryofmagneticfusionpowerbalance 82
Bibliography 82
Problems 83
5 Designofasimplemagneticfusionreactor 85
5.1 Introduction 85
5.2 Agenericmagneticfusionreactor 85
5.3 Thecriticalreactordesignparameterstobecalculated 86
5.4 Designgoals,andbasicengineeringandnuclearphysicsconstraints 88
5.5 Designofthereactor 91
5.6 Summary 105
Bibliography 106
Problems 106
PartII Theplasmaphysicsoffusionenergy 109
6 Overviewofmagneticfusion 111
6.1 Introduction 111
6.2 Basicdescriptionofaplasma 113
6.3 Single-particlebehavior 113
6.4 Self-consistentmodels 114
6.5 MHDequilibriumandstability 115
6.6 Magneticfusionconcepts 116
6.7 Transport 117
6.8 Heatingandcurrentdrive 118
6.9 Thefutureoffusionresearch 120
Bibliography 120
7 Definitionofafusionplasma 121
7.1 Introduction 121
7.2 ShieldingDCelectricfieldsinaplasma–theDebyelength 122
7.3 ShieldingACelectricfieldsinaplasma–theplasmafrequency 126
7.4 Lowcollisionalityandcollectiveeffects 130
7.5 Additionalconstraintsforamagneticfusionplasma 133
7.6 Macroscopicbehaviorvs.collisions 135
7.7 Summary 135
Bibliography 136
Problems 137