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What eventually happens to the excess neutron “waste”? Surely there’s some negative consequence to producing an enormous number of neutrons, no?
by stouset 3y ago
What eventually happens to the excess neutron “waste”? Surely there’s some negative consequence to producing an enormous number of neutrons, no?
- tsimionescu 3y agoAll the neutrons that don't get caught by the blanket will usually be caught by the support structure of the reactor, damaging it and making it radioactive. This puts a cap on the maximum lifetime of this type of fusion reactor until significant parts of the structure need to be dismantled and replaced, and stored as highly radioactive waste. As far as I know, current estimates suggest something like a decade - one of the biggest problems with the economics of fusion power plants.