Energy conversion options for ARIES-III-a conceptual D-/sup 3/He tokamak reactor

High-efficiency energy conversion schemes for a D-/sup 3/He tokamak reactor are investigated. The loss channels for a D-/sup 3/He plasma are through charged particles, neutrons, and radiation (synchrotron and bremsstrahlung), with only a few percent of the energy loss in neutrons. In contrast to D-T fusion reactors, this gives high leverage to energy-conversion methods which apply to charged particles or radiation. The ideas investigated focus on efficiently converting such energy to electricity or on converting thermal energy in ways which make effective use of fusion-reactor characteristics such as high magnetic fields. The energy-conversion methods investigated are given. Whether a concept was chosen for further study is indicated, as is the applicability of the concept to the three tokamak versions under consideration for the Advanced Reactor Innovation and Evaluation Study-III (ARIES-III): a high-field reactor (HFR), a second stability reactor (SSR), and a spherical torus (ST). Options not selected for further pursuit within the ARIES project are described briefly, and those selected are discussed more extensively. Selection criteria include cost, efficiency, technical feasibility, and how well a concept made use of fusion-specific features.<>