Fusion Plasma

Physics
Nur Izzati Ishak
SES100227

Synopsis
Introduction

to thermonuclear fusion
Plasma Fusion Performance-Lawson
criterion
Tokamak

Why Fusion
Fuel:

abundant, world-wide distributed:

-deuterium from abundant in seawater

-tritium is produced from lithium in soil

Essential Fusion Reactions

Used to
heat plasma

Used to
generate
electricity

 Two

other important reactions for DT

fusion:
1

+ 6 4 + 3 + 4.8

3 + 3 + 1 2.5

Allow a fusion reactor to breed tritium!!!

Why choose D-T fusion reaction???

Fusion power production

High

temperature (~10keV) are required for significant

thermonuclear fusion energy production dealing with
plasma!!
nuclei must overcome the Coulomb barrier to approach close
enough to fuse.
E.g.,T-300keV required to overcome Coulomb barrier of
~0.4MeV

 But,

the reaction rate is dominated by small population

of high energy nuclei which react by quantum tunneling.
For 100keV nuclei, tunneling probability w=3.2 103

Fusion reaction cross-section

Fusion

reaction cross-sections rate:

< > is appropriate average of the fusion cross

section over the relative velocities v

Lawson-Criterion
Fusion

power density for optimal 50:50 D-T mixture:

=

<

> =

2 < >

16 ()2

, =17.6MeV

E.g.: for magnetic fusion reactor parameter with p~10atm

P=7.5MW2

Power Gain-The Lawson Criterion

Obtaining

the suitable temperature for fusion

reaction, involves heating of plasma:

for a net power gain , fusion power output must exceed

input heating power

Define

parameter = energy confinement time

as rate at which a system loses energy to its
environment:
W=energy density
=power loss density

energy density:

volume

rate f (reactions per volume per time) of

fusion reactions:

volume rate of heating :

Where = 3.5

 The

Lawson criterion is the requirement that

the fusion heating exceed the losses:

is a function of temperature with an

absolute minimum

For the D-T reaction:

This minimum is called

ignition condition
For DT, neE minimizes near
the temperature
25 keV (300 million
kelvins).

The "triple product" neTE

progress

in confinement is measured by:

Fusion triple product=

Fusion triplet product=(density)(temperature)(energy

time)

confinement

Two approach of Fusion:

Ignition concept

Plasma toraidal magnetic

confinement-tokamak

References
Fusion

Plasma Physics and INTER-CERN

lectures series
J. D. Lawson, "Some Criteria for a Power
Producing
Thermonuclear
Reactor",
Proceedings of the Physical Society B,
Volume 70 (1957), p. 6
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/artic
les/5763/20130323/lawson-criteria-makefusion-power-viable-iter.htm

Thank You