Energy Outlook for Thermonuclear Fusion

Analysis of the problems and potential of two nuclear technologies based on fusion reactions of light nuclei and fission of heavy nuclei shows the following. Independent large-scale development of each one will make it necessary to overcome still unsolved technological, materials science, environmental, and economic problems, raising the question of the expediency of further development of these energy industries. At the same time, the physical features of the fission and fusion processes objectively indicate the expediency of combining them into a unified nuclear energy system, which will have a large synergistic effect. This will greatly mitigate the adverse aspects of each technology that will appear if the two systems develop independently. Calculations of neutron multiplication in the blanket of a hybrid thermonuclear reactor that confirm the physical feasibility and reliability of picking the direction of development in the form of a unified nuclear energy system are presented.