Unified first wall-blanket structure for plasma device applications

This patent describes a nuclear reaction plasma device for generating neutron streams having a plasma and a structure serving as both the first wall and the blanket. The structure comprises: a first wall for containment of plasma at elevated temperatures. The first wall adjoins and exposes an inner plasma zone thereby providing a first barrier to the plasma and a blanket containing multiple channels for channeling helium and multiple passages for channeling water through the blanket. The blanket is for generation of sensible heat from the neutron streams. The first wall comprises an inner surface for exposure to the plasma. The inner surface and the blanket are of a one-piece structure initially composed of a metallic solid solution containing a major amount of copper and about 15-25 at.% of lithium and melting above about 5000C. The blanket includes means for adding lithium vapor to the helium gas being channeled to the blanket for replacing lithium converted to tritium. The walls of the channels are composed of a material which will allow transfer of tritium from the blanket into the helium gas passing through the channels and transfer of the lithium vapor from the helium gas into the blanket