Safe and Fuel-Efficient Hybrid Fusion-Fission Reactors Developed in Russia
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Sputnik International
https://sputniknews.com/science/202104061082554018-safe-and-fuel-efficient-hybrid-fusion-fission-reactors-developed-in-russia/
Researchers from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), in cooperation with other Russian scientists, have created and tested a fusion component of a unique hybrid reactor. They claim the system will combine the advantages of reactors of various types and will excel in safety, economy and compactness.
The hybrid reactor systems or fusion-fission systems, as TPU scientists explained, will combine the reliability of conventional fission reactors with the economics and environmental safety of fusion power.
These systems consist of a fusion neutron source and a core (called a blanket) in which heavy nuclei fission takes place. The fuel is a hybrid of thorium and weapons-grade plutonium. The scientists claim that thorium is not an energy source in itself but it does produce uranium-233, and that the accumulation of this in the core increases the duration of the fuel cycle. Replacing the uranium-238 used in conventional fission reactors with thorium could drastically reduce the amount of radioactive waste.