4 ms·
Iananp, but wouldn't that be for the same reasons? E.g. in both case you're trying to absorb energetic neutrons? (Upon research: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
by ethbro 11y ago
Iananp, but wouldn't that be for the same reasons? E.g. in both case you're trying to absorb energetic neutrons?
(Upon research: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLiBe#Coolant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLiBe#Coolant)
Apparently it has properties that make it both a great coolant & a neutron moderator. Neat!
- throwaway_yy2Di 11y agoThey actually have nearly opposite goals. The fusion blanket is supposed to transmute lithium to tritium [0] (create more fusion fuel), so it has capture as many neutrons as possible. The fission-reactor coolant is supposed to be transparent -- to capture as few neutrons as possible. Both of them need isotopic separation of lithium to be practical. But in opposite directions. ARC's FLiBe needs to be Li-6 enriched, and MSR needs to be Li-6 depleted. The MSRE fuel used 99.993% Li-7 (your link), and the ARC blanket is 90% Li-6 (arXiv paper). [0] https://www.iter.org/mach/tritiumbreeding https://www.iter.org/mach/tritiumbreeding