The Fusion-Fission Hybrid Reactor for Energy Production: A Practical Path to Fusion Application

The fusion-fission hybrid system has the potential attractiveness of good safety performances and plenty of fuel compared to the fission reactor system and also easing the requirement of fusion plasma technology. It is a practical path to the early fusion application for energy production. In this paper, a fusion-driven subcritical reactor for energy multiplier, named FDS-EM, is proposed. It can generate about an electricity power of ~1.2 GW with self-sustaining tritium cycle. The tokamak can be designed based on relatively easy-achieved plasma parameters extrapolated from the operation of the EAST tokamak, and the subcritical blanket can be designed based on the well-developed technology of pressurized water reactor. The conceptual design of FDS-EM, which consists of fusion plasma core parameters design and optimization, fission blanket and fuel cycle, and reference blanket module design, has been presented. And the preliminary performance analyses covering neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and thermo-mechanics have been carried out.