[en] The purpose of the fusion programme is to provide broadly competitive electricity (with perhaps credit given for possible environmental, diversity and safety benefits). Fusion reactor design studies routinely predict electricity prices broadly comparable to conventional alternatives such as the PWR, despite the devices producing the electricity being typically ∝10 times bigger, more complicated and requiring more maintenance. In this paper this issue is considered. These low power densities, indicated both by reactor studies and confirmed by generic engineering and geometric arguments, are shown to be a rather fundamental feature of the D-T tokamak. Coupled with the complex construction and expensive materials required, and the probable low availability its serial complexity and high maintenance needs will cause, it is argued that D-T tokamak electricity prices will be a significant multiple of alternatives. This is the case even with all remaining physics issues assumed resolved successfully. (orig.)

[en] The Effective Management Method is an action decision manner to work out the strategy of enterprises, which was developed in Japan on the base of the Kepner and Trigoe Method developed in the USA. The authors applied this method with a small modification to a burn cycle study of tokamak power plants. The numerical figure of merit for the pulsed and steady state operations are visually shown. Steady state, 1 hour pulse (with and without energy reservoir) and half-day long pulse reactor are compared. The EM method provides a common base for such comparing study. The highest score is given to an 1 hour pulsed operated reactor with an energy reservoir for the continuous electric output. However it is also pointed out that there is no 'significant' superiority in both of the steady state and pulse reactors. (author)

[en] Deuterium and tritium are the components of the thermonuclear fusion fuel. Deuterium is very common on earth and tritium will be produced in the fusion device itself by the collision of fast neutrons emitted in fusion reactions on lithium targets. Thermonuclear fusion will be a revolution as it will be an unlimited and massive energy source that will certainly open the way to other uses like fueling planes and ships or accelerating spatial flights than electricity production only. (A.C.)

No abstract available

[en] The most common basic process of air detritiation, which employs oxidation of tritiated gases in a catalytic recombiner and subsequent collection of HTO on molecular sieve dryers, can also be used for a large-scale detritiation system for the next-step deuterium-tritium fusion device. Performance, economy, and reliability can be improved by modifying the design of basic elements, i.e., the recombiners and molecular sieve dryers, and by rearranging them in a system permitting multiple process path choices for optimum performance depending on demand. These improvements should result in a system that is (a) free of secondary tritium release by permeation; (b) economical, with <1 kW power required in a ready-to-operate open-quotes hot standbyclose quotes condition; (c) capable of reducing inlet humidity of the order of 10 000 ppm (volume) to 0.01 ppm at the outlet by using two adsorber stages in series; and (d) capable of providing the best starting condition for water processing: little or no dilution by H₂O from isotopic swamping due to the use of two adsorber stages. The system detritiation factor is defined and discussed, and the overriding importance of high water retention efficiency is demonstrated. 4 refs., 5 figs

[en] An attempt is made to estimate the lithium reserve (the economically recoverable lithium) for the tritium breeding in D-T fusion reactors and other uses. Similar development patterns for fusion energy and fission energy are assumed to estimate the future lithium requirements. These requirements are grouped into three categories; the commercial uses, the lithium batteries for electric cars, and the fusion reactor uses. 5 refs

[en] The Ignitor experiment is the first to have been proposed and designed with the purpose of studying the conditions under which ignition in D-T plasmas can be attained. The design of the machine has kept pace with the evolution of the physics of magnetically confined plasmas as well with progress made in the design of other advanced confinement experiments

No abstract available

[en] D-T operation of JET is currently programmed for mid-1991 onwards. An active gas handling plant to extract hydrogen isotopes from the torus exhausts and provide individual isotope feeds is being constructed. Although Torus Systems, additional heating systems and diagnostics have been designed for the tritium operation, their designs are presently subject to a detailed review. Some of the systems in direct contact with tritium will require modifications to improve their reliability and these modifications are being designed. Approval from safety and regulatory authorities is necessary to start operation with tritiu, and to satisfy these requirements, analysis is being carried out of routine and accident conditions, waste arisings and compatibility of systems with tritium operation. It is concluded that in parallel with the continuing successful experimental programme of JET in the D-D phase, the review of all aspects of the JET design and operation for the D-T phase is proceeding satisfactorily and no insurmountable problems are foreseen. The complete JET cycle will have a negligible environmental impact and the measures taken will ensure that radiaion doses to workers are low. (author). 13 refs.; 9 figs

[en] The deuterium-tritium (D-T) experimental program on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) is underway and routine tritium operations have been established. The technology upgrades made to the TFTR facility have been demonstrated to be sufficient for supporting both operations and maintenance for an extended D-T campaign. To date fusion power has been increased to ∼9 MW and several physics results of importance to the D-T reactor regime have been obtained: electron temperature, ion temperature, and plasma stored energy all increase substantially in the D-T regime relative to the D-D regime at the same neutral beam power and comparable limiter conditioning; possible alpha electron heating is indicated and energy confinement improvement with average ion mass is observed; and alpha particle losses appear to be classical with no evidence of TAE mode activity up to the PFUS ∼6 MW level. Instability in the TAE mode frequency range has been observed at PFUS > 7 MW and its effect on performance in under investigation. Preparations are underway to enhance the alpha particle density further by increasing fusion power and by extending the neutral beam pulse length to permit alpha particle effects of relevance to the ITER regime to be more fully explored