Adiabatic plasma heating and fusion-energy production by a compressible fast liner

Gerwin, Richard A.; Malone, R. C.

doi:10.1088/0029-5515/19/2/001

Cited by 23 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(41 reference statements)

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“…For g 1Q = 0.5 the intersection of these lines closely approaches the peak of a three-dimensional "hill" at Q max = 11.1. Simple extrapolation indicates that for 6^ = 0.3, Q max = 11.6 at T Q = 0.5 keV and n Q = 1.6(10) 24 , and for B 1Q = 0.7, Q max = 9.9 at T Q = 0.8 keV and n Q = 1.3(10) 2 V 3 . The optima determined up to this point are based on a fixed liner velocity, although two liner energies were considered.…”

Section: Figs Iii-4 and Iii-5 Is The Relationship Between 6 In And Bmentioning

confidence: 98%

Conceptual design of the Fast-Liner Reactor (FLR) for fusion power

Moses¹,

Krakowski²,

Miller³

1979

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The generation of fusion power from the Fast-Liner Reactor (FLR) concept envisages the implosion of a thin (3mm) metallic cylinder (0.2-m radius by 0.2-m length) onto a preinjected plasma. This plasma would be heated to thermonuclear temperatures by adiabatic compression, pressure confinement would be provided by the liner inertia, and thermal insulation of the wall-confined plasma would be established by an embedded azimuthal magnetic field. A 2-to 3-ys burn would follow the ^10 4 m/s radial implosion and would result in a thermonuclear yield equal to 10-15 times the energy initially invested into the liner kinetic energy. For implosions occurring once every 10 s a gross thermal power of 430 MWt would be generated. The results of a comprehensive systems study of both physics and technology (economics) optima are presented. Despite unresolved problems associated with both the physics and technology of the FLR, a conceptual power plant design is presented. Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory has proposed and is conducting experiments on ^10 m/s imploding liners; this approach is similar to that followed ten years ago by Alikhanov et al. Consideration of liner buckling and Rayleigh-Taylor stability, particle and energy confinement, and the desire for very compact systems exhibiting high power densities nave led to the choice of the fast mode. Fast implosions that are driven by an azimuthal field should alleviate the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and supress the plastic-elastic (buckling) instability in addition to allowing wallconfinement of the plasma pressure. The technological problems associated with GJ-level energy transfers and releases over microsecond time intervals g are severe, and to a great extent the magnitude of these problems is related directly to the non-ideal behavior of a fast-liner/plasma system (i.e., liner compressibility, liner stability, field diffusion, plasma turbulence, thermal conduction, and radiation) as reflected by constraints imposed by a realistic engineering energy balance. The Fast-Liner Reactor (FLR) concept combines the favorable aspects of inertia! confinement and heating with the more efficient energy transfer associated with magnetic approaches to yield a conceptual fusion system based on the pulsed burn of a \iery dense D-T plasma. A thin metal cylinder or "liner" of ^0.2-m initial radius, ^3-rnm initial thickness, and ^0.2-m length is imploded radially to a velocity of ^ 10 m/s by self-magnetic fields resulting from large currents driven axially through the liner. The liner implodes onto a ^0.5-keV, ^10-m~° D-T plasma that is initially formed in or injected into the liner. As the liner implodes in ^20-40 us, adiabatic compression raises the plasma to thermonuclear temperatures, and a vigorous fusion burn ensues for ^2-3 JJS. During the implosion the plasma pressure is confined inertially by the metal liner and endplug walls. An imbedded azimuthal magnetic field, generated by an axial current driven through the plasma, provides magnetic insulation against radial and axial therma...

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Section: Figs Iii-4 and Iii-5 Is The Relationship Between 6 In And Bmentioning

confidence: 98%

Conceptual design of the Fast-Liner Reactor (FLR) for fusion power

Moses¹,

Krakowski²,

Miller³

1979

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“…It consists of 1) creating of a warm plasma with a closed magnetic field strong enough to reduce electron thermal conduction, 2) operating at lower densities than IFE (but much higher than MFE) in order to reduce radiation losses, and 3) compressing the plasma and embedded field to fusion conditions. [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Early experiments on wall confinement [28,29] and the IFE theory lead to early experiments, [23,24] but later proposed variants [31,32] are based on a field-reversed configuration with a guide field. 1-D & 2-D calculations [4,24,32,33] indicate that both approaches can provide adequate compression of the magnetized plasma, i.e., sufficient to initiate thermonuclear bum.…”

Section: Altering the Fusion Physicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Tutorial on Ignition and Gain for Small Fusion Targets

Kirkpatrick¹

2009

AIP Conference Proceedings

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“…[2][3][4] Because of the small gain of MTF, the author had suggested to use MTF as a booster stage for the ignition of second high gain inertial confinement fusion targets. 5 In Thio et al 's new approach towards MTF, a quasispherical array of plasma jets is focused onto a small volume into which the magnetized deuterium-tritium ͑DT͒ fusion target is placed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma gun supersonic vortex magnetohydrodynamic dynamo for magnetized target fusion

Winterberg

2004

Physics of Plasmas

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Supersonic plasma jets injected with a large azimuthal velocity component into a magnetic cusp field entrap the radial field component in between the coalescing jets, with the cushioning effect of the magnetic field diminishing the formation of shocks which otherwise would occur by the collision of the jets. With the bending of the radial magnetic lines of force into an azimuthal direction by the vortex flow of the coalescing jets, a magnetohydrodynamic dynamo with an axial current is established. With the radial velocity component of the jets compressing the magnetic field and the plasma formed by the coalescing jets, a closed field line configuration is established. If dense denterium–tritium (DT) gas is injected into the vortex core, the axial current passes through the DT resulting in a dense pinch discharge stabilized by the rapidly rotating vortex flow.

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Adiabatic plasma heating and fusion-energy production by a compressible fast liner

Cited by 23 publications

References 17 publications

Conceptual design of the Fast-Liner Reactor (FLR) for fusion power

Conceptual design of the Fast-Liner Reactor (FLR) for fusion power

A Tutorial on Ignition and Gain for Small Fusion Targets

Plasma gun supersonic vortex magnetohydrodynamic dynamo for magnetized target fusion

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