In nuclear physics, an energy amplifier is a novel type of nuclear power reactor, a subcritical reactor, in which an energetic particle beam is used to stimulate a reaction, which in turn releases enough energy to power the particle accelerator and leave an energy profit for power generation. Nuclear physics is the branch of physics concerned with the nucleus of the atom. ... This article is about power derived from nuclear reactions. ... A subcritical reactor is a nuclear fission reactor that produces fission without achieving criticality. ... A charged particle beam is a group of electrically charged particles that have approximately the same kinetic energy and move in approximately the same direction. ... One of the early particle accelerators responsible for development of the atomic bomb. ...

History

The concept is credited to Carlo Rubbia, a nuclear physicist and former director of Europe's CERN international nuclear physics lab. He published a proposal for a power reactor based on a proton cyclotron accelerator with a beam energy of 800 MeV to 1 GeV, and a fuel/moderator target with thorium as fuel and lead as a moderator. Carlo Rubbia Carlo Rubbia (born March 31, 1934) is an Italian physicist. ... A physicist is a scientist trained in physics. ... CERN logo CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the worlds largest particle physics laboratory, situated on the border between France and Switzerland, just west of Geneva. ... Nuclear physics is the branch of physics concerned with the nucleus of the atom. ... 60-inch cyclotron, circa 1939, showing beam of accelerated ions (perhaps protons or deuterons) escaping the accelerator and ionizing the surrounding air causing a blue glow. ... An electronvolt (symbol: eV) is the amount of energy gained by a single unbound electron when it falls through an electrostatic potential difference of one volt. ... A GEV (or Ground Effect Vehicle) is vehicle that takes advantage of the aerodynamic principle of ground effect (or Wing-in-ground). ... General Name, Symbol, Number thorium, Th, 90 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block ?, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 232. ... General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ...

Advantages

The concept has several potential advantages over conventional nuclear fission reactors: Nuclear power station at Leibstadt, Switzerland. ...

• Subcritical design means that the reaction could not run away — if anything went wrong, the reaction would stop and the reactor would cool down. A meltdown could however occur if the refrigeration of the core were lost.

• Thorium is an abundant element — much more so than uranium — reducing strategic and political supply issues and eliminating costly isotope separation. There is enough thorium to generate energy for at least several thousand years at current consumption rates.

• Less long-lived radioactive waste is produced — most of the waste would decay after 500 years to the level of coal ash. The amplifier could actually be used to transform long-lived waste (like plutonium) from conventional reactors into safer substances.

• No new science is required; the technologies to build the energy amplifier have all been demonstrated in the laboratory. Building an energy amplifier requires only some engineering effort, not fundamental research (unlike nuclear fusion proposals).

• Power generation might be economical compared to current nuclear reactor designs if the total fuel cycle and decommissioning costs are considered.

• Inherent safety and safe fuel transport could make the technology more suitable for developing countries as well as in densely populated areas.

A nuclear meltdown occurs when the core of a nuclear reactor melts. ... General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block ?, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic Atomic mass 238. ... Isotopes are forms of an element whose nuclei have the same atomic number–-the number of protons in the nucleus--but different atomic masses because they contain different numbers of neutrons. ... A Russian fissile material storage facility Underground Radioactive Material Sign Radioactive waste is waste material containing radioactive chemical elements that does not have a practical purpose. ... Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by deep mining, coal mining (open-pit mining or strip mining). ... Look up ash in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... General Name, Symbol, Number plutonium, Pu, 94 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block ?, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass (244) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 5f6 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ... ...

Principle and feasibility

The energy amplifier uses a synchrotron accelerator to produce a beam of protons. These hit a heavy metal target such as lead, thorium or uranium and produce neutrons through the spallation. Thorium nuclei absorb neutrons, thus breeding fissile uranium-233, an isotope of uranium which is not found in nature. Moderated neutrons produce U-233 fission, releasing energy. A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field (to turn the particles so they circulate) and the electric field (to accelerate the particles) are carefully synchronized with the travelling particle beam. ... Properties In physics, the neutron is a subatomic particle with no net electric charge and a mass of 939. ... General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block ?, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic Atomic mass 238. ...

This design is entirely plausible with currently available technology but requires more study before it can be declared both practical and economical.