A possibility is analyzed to use direct drive cylindrical targets
in the fast ignition mode irradiated by beams of nearly relativistic
heavy ions with long ranges in matter. The minimum beam energy
required to compress the DT fuel in a 1-cm-long target to
(ρR)DT = 0.5 g/cm2,
ρDT = 100 g/cm3 is found to lie
in the range 10–15 MJ. Ignition and axial burn propagation is
achieved with a 0.2-ns, 0.4-MJ pulse of 100-GeV heavy ions. Thermonuclear
energy gains in the range 50–150 appear to be possible.
The characteristics of a fast ignition heavy ion fusion~FIHIF! power plant are preliminarily evaluated. The reactor chamber consists of two sections: The upper smaller part is the microexplosion section proper; the lower bigger part is the condensation section, in which sprayed jets of coolant are injected. The first surface of the blanket is of generally accepted wetted porous design. The coolant is lithium-lead eutectic with an initial surface temperature of 820 K. The mass of the evaporated coolant just after the explosion is evaluated as 4 kg. Computation of neutronics results in blanket energy deposition with maximum density of the order of 10 8 J0m 3 at the first wall. The heat conversion system consisting of three coolant loops provides a net efficiency of the FIHIF power plant of 0.37.
The concept of a power plant for fast-ignition heavy ion fusion is developed. It is based on repetitive detonation of a cylindrical direct-drive target, producing 750 MJ of fusion yield in each microexplosion. A heavy-ion driver system providing consequent compression and ignition of the cylindrical DT target is described. Data on energy fluxes generated by the microexplosion are given. The design of the thin liquid wall reactor chamber is presented. The behaviour of the liquid film at the first wall and the blanket coolant and material under a pulsed energy flux loading is analysed. The energy conversion thermal scheme and power plant output parameters are presented. The state of the art at the ITEP-TWAC experimental accelerator is described.
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