Fusion Fuel Cycle Development through Public-Private Partnerships
ORAL
Abstract
Commercialization of fusion energy using a deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel cycle will require fusion pilot plants (FPPs) to have tritium inventories on the order of 100’s of grams. No commercial entity has experience sourcing, purifying, and utilizing tritium on that scale, but it is part of routine operations for Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) technology deployed in the Savannah River Site (SRS) Tritium Facilities. SRNL is actively engaging fusion companies and the fusion communities through public-private partnership (PPP) programs such as the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy INFUSE program. The objective is to help address fuel cycle challenges as fusion advances towards commercialization, as well as work with DOE to potentially support facilities for fuel cycle demonstrations at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 prior to Fusion Power Plant (FPP) operation. SRNL’s primary engagement method with fusion companies for PPPs has been through the DOE Office of Science (SC) INFUSE program but is prepared for additional company engagements through additional PPP structures as they are developed. In addition, SRNL has tied its fusion program into efforts across the lab to engage universities (including minority serving institutions), not-for profits to try and help address industry-wide issues such as workforce development; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and a variety of other issues. In addition, SRNL is also engaging with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to help develop a regulatory framework for fusion and tritium that can help enable fusion energy commercialization. SRNL has a number of innovative science and technology PPPs that revolve around fusion fuel cycle advancement both within the INFUSE and ARPA-e programs. One set of projects at SRNL focuses on technologies that advance blanket technologies including tritium extraction and materials durability in blanket environments. The blanket projects include research and development on direct lithium tritide (LiT) electrolysis for improving tritium extraction from lithium alloy blankets (e.g. Pb-Li and Li) and active redox control of molten salts for control of corrosion in a FLiBe blanket with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). A second set of projects is working with companies such as General Atomics and General Fusion to develop fuel cycle related models that can help to design systems that enhance movement of tritium through the fusion fuel cycle to reduce tritium in-process inventory, better account for tritium inventory, reduce tritium in-process inventory, and perform comparative techno-economic assessments. SRNL’s long history and expertise in development of tritium handling and processing offers a unique opportunity to work closely with private partners to advance and influence the design and implementation of a fusion fuel cycle through DOE SC and ARPA-e programs.
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Publication: 1.) Flynn, H. B., and George Larsen. "Investigating the application of Kalman Filters for real-time accountancy in fusion fuel cycles." Fusion Engineering and Design 176 (2022): 113037.<br>2.) (Submitted) "Fusion Fuel Cycle Inventory Reduction Studies using a Processing Time based Discrete-Time Interval Model" in a Special Edition of Fusion Science and Technology, Young Investigators of Fusion<br>3.) Larsen, George, and Dave Babineau. "An Evaluation of the Global Effects of Tritium Emissions from Nuclear Fusion Power." Fusion Engineering and Design 158 (2020): 111690.
