Nuclear energy might contribute to a long-term solution to stave off climate change. But current nuclear fission technology accesses only about 1-3% of the nuclear energy content of natural uranium, thus is expensive, inefficient and creates a nuclear waste disposal problem that has no solution in reach.
Combination with emerging nuclear fusion in fusion-fission hybrid technology could yield neutrons to convert much more of the Uranium into fissionable material, thus increasing efficiency and reducing nuclear waste.
This work describes fusion-fission hybrid technology. Chapters briefly review nuclear fission principles and describe design and safety of advanced reactor types.
Then the fundamentals of nuclear fusion and fusion reactors are described, together with ongoing and future challenges and developments in this not-yet matured technology. Then chapters convey how to use surplus neutrons from the fusion to assist with the fission processes, and how to obtain needed deuterium and tritium.
Weston M. (Bill) Stacey is emeritus Regent's Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, United States. His career in nuclear science and engineering spans 60+ years of research in nuclear reactor physics and nuclear reactor design, fusion plasma physics and fusion reactor design, at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and Georgia Tech. He led the international IAEA INTOR Workshop (USA, USSR, EU, Japan, 1977-88) project to assess the readiness of the world's fusion programs to build an experimental fusion power reactor, to evaluate the required additional R&D, and to develop the INTOR conceptual design; this project evolved into the current ITER project for the first experimental fusion reactor. He is author of more than 350 research papers and 7 books on nuclear fission and fusion physics and technology and recipient of the ANS Seaborg and Wigner Reactor Physics awards, the DOE Distinguished Associate award and two Certificates of Appreciation, the Fusion Power Assoc. Distinguished Career award, and is a lifetime member of Who's Who.