Speaker
Description
SHINE Technologies has been selected as the DT neutron source supplier for the LIBRTI tritium breeding test facility. As part of UKAEA’s broader Fusion Futures initiative, the LIBRTI program focuses on pioneering fusion fuel advancements and stimulating general industry capacity through international collaboration. Over its four-year span, the program aims to demonstrate controlled tritium breeding, which is a critical step for future fusion power plants. The paper will discuss SHINE’s contribution to the LIBRTI program and interface considerations between the neutron source and breeding test blanket.
The DT neutron driver to be delivered to the LIBRTI facility in is based on the high-flux, steady-state neutron source technology that SHINE has already deployed as the Fusion Linear Accelerator for Radiation Effects (FLARE) in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. FLARE is comprised of a neutron generator, a tritium purification system, an irradiation bunker, and related facility infrastructure. FLARE routinely operates with an accessible DT neutron flux of ~ 5×10$^9$ n/cm$^2$s. Fast neutron flux levels of up to 1.8×10$^{10}$ n/cm$^2$s have been measured with this technology at a maximum DT neutron output of 4.6×10$^{13}$ n/s.
In addition to the planned delivery of the LIBRTI neutron driver, SHINE is collaborating with UKAEA on upgrades to the DT neutron source technology to further increase the neutron flux available for tritium breeding testing. These upgrades, including the implementation of a plasma window to allow for higher tritium gas pressures in the target, are expected to increase the maximum accessible flux by 1-2 orders of magnitude.
SHINE is also in the planning stages for tritium breeding experiments using FLARE starting in 2026. These include tests in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and Commonwealth Fusion Systems under the TRIBAL (TRItium Breeding to Advance LIBRTI) project, and with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under a Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaborative award from the U.S. Department of Energy.
| Speaker affiliation | SHINE Technologies |
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