MARS High Temperature Blanket

A new, two-zone tandem mirror blanket designed for the dual applications of high efficiency electricity production or process heat for synthetic fuel production is presented. The blanket is self-sufficient in tritium production, delivers 46% of the blanket energy at 900 to 1000°C, meets guidelines for near-surface burial of radioactive wastes and couples to a power cycle that has a net efficiency of 44%. The design is based on a new concept of a dilute mixture of a solid breeder with a high temperature material that extends the temperature range of the breeder. The low temperature zone is Li₁₇Pb₈₃ cooled while the high temperature zone is cooled with helium.