Nuclear energy plays a key role in long-term strategies to mitigate climate change. However, conventional nuclear fission technology is inefficient, utilizing only about 1–3% of the energy in natural uranium, and it produces long-lived radioactive waste.
Fusion-fission hybrid technology combines nuclear fission with emerging nuclear fusion, using additional fusion neutrons to: 1) convert more uranium into fissionable material, increasing fuel utilization efficiency, and 2) significantly reduce the most long-lived radioactive waste through enhanced fission.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of fusion-fission hybrid (FFH) physics and technology. It begins with a review of nuclear fission principles, reactor design, and safety, followed by the fundamentals of nuclear fusion and fusion reactor concepts, highlighting current challenges and anticipated advancements. Chapters cover the fission fuel cycle, advanced fission reactors, safety considerations, fusion power science and technology, and FFH breeder and burner reactor concepts. The book also presents illustrative FFH designs, safety analyses, and examples of fusion-assisted fission fuel burning and breeding cycles.
This concise reference is essential for researchers, policy makers, and advanced students engaged in nuclear energy research and engineering.
