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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. >

The Advanced Reactor Innovation and Evaluation Study (ARIES) is a community effort to develop several visions of the tokamak as a fusion power reactor. The aims are to determine its potential economics, safety, and environmental features and to identify physics and technology areas with the highest leverage for achieving the best tokamak reactor. The authors focus on the ARIES-1 design. Parametric systems studies show that the optimum first stability tokamak has relatively low plasma current ( approximately 12 MA), high plasma aspect ratio ( approximately 4-6), and high magnetic field ( approximately 24 T at the coil). ARIES-I is a 1000-MWe (net) reactor with a plasma major radius of 6.5 m, a minor radius of 1.4 m, a neutron wall loading of about 2.8 MW/m/sup 2/, and a mass power density of about 90 kWe/tonne. The ARIES-I reactor operates at steady state using ICRF (ion-cyclotron range of frequency) fast waves to drive current in the plasma core and lower-hybrid waves for edge-plasma current drive. The ARIES-I blanket is cooled by He and consists of SiC-composite structural material, Li/sub 4/SiO/sub 4/ solid breeder, and Be neutron multiplier, all chosen for their low-activation and low-decay after-heat in order to enhance the safety and environmental features of the design. The ARIES-I design has a competitive cost of electricity and superior safety and environmental features. >