Experiment to Form and Characterize a Section of a Spherically Imploding Plasma Liner

Hsu, S. C.; Langendorf, Samuel; Yates, Kevin; Dunn, J. P.; Brockington, Samuel; Case, Andrew; Cruz, E.; Witherspoon, F. D.; Gilmore, M.; Cassibry, Jason; Samulyak, Roman; Stoltz, Peter; Schillo, Kevin; Shih, Wen‐Pin; Beckwith, Kris; Thio, Y. C. Francis

doi:10.1109/tps.2017.2779421

Cited by 28 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…These simulations predicted that "primary" shocks would form between adjacent merging jets, and then the shocked plasmas associated with the "primary shocks" would merge to form "secondary shocks." This physical picture has been verified in experiments [1]. However, in these parameter regimes, shock strength is over-predicted in single-fluid hydrodynamics codes.…”

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confidence: 57%

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Physics Criteria for a Subscale Plasma Liner Experiment

Hsu

Thio

2018

J Fusion Energ

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Spherically imploding plasma liners, formed by merging hypersonic plasma jets, are a proposed standoff driver to compress magnetized target plasmas to fusion conditions [S. C. Hsu et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 40, 1287 (2012)]. In this paper, the parameter space and physics criteria are identified for a subscale, plasmaliner-formation experiment to provide data, e.g., on liner ram-pressure scaling and uniformity, that are relevant for addressing scientific issues of full-scale plasma liners required to achieve fusion conditions. Based on these criteria, we quantitatively estimate the minimum liner kinetic energy and mass needed, which informed the design of a subscale plasma liner experiment now under development.

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confidence: 57%

“…Further benchmarking studies, along with new 3D simulations of plasma-liner formation via the merging of up to hundreds of plasma jets, will be reported elsewhere. Indeed, a key objective of ongoing research [1] is to work toward setting requirements on and identifying limits of achievable liner uniformity.…”

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confidence: 99%

Physics Criteria for a Subscale Plasma Liner Experiment

Hsu

Thio

2018

J Fusion Energ

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“…For (i), ion shock heating was measured in two-and three-jet merging experiments [52] , which benchmarked simulations showing that the lineraverage Mach number remained above approximately 10. For (ii), the first sixjet merging experiments were quite imbalanced due to large mass imbalance among the six jets [50]. An upgrade to the gas-valve design allowed for mass balance across seven jets of better than 2%.…”

Section: Los Alamos National Laboratory/hyperv Technologies: Plasma Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retrospective of the ARPA-E ALPHA Fusion Program

et al. 2019

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This paper provides a retrospective of the ALPHA (Accelerating Low-cost Plasma Heating and Assembly) fusion program of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy. ALPHA's objective was to catalyze research and development efforts to enable substantially lower-cost pathways to economical fusion power. To do this in a targeted, focused program, ALPHA focused on advancing the science and technology of pulsed, intermediate-density fusion approaches, including magneto-inertial fusion and Z-pinch variants, that have the potential to scale to commercially viable fusion power plants. The paper includes a discussion of the origins and framing of the ALPHA program, a summary of project status and outcomes, a description of associated technology-transition activities, and thoughts on a potential follow-on ARPA-E fusion program. Introduction:In 2014 the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched a new research program on low-cost approaches to fusion-energy development [1]. The "Accelerating Low-Cost Plasma Heating and Assembly" (ALPHA) program set out to enable more rapid progress towards fusion energy by establishing a wider range of technological options that could be pursued with smaller, lower-cost experiments, short development and construction times, and high experimental throughput. Mainstream fusion research generally refers to magnetically or inertially confined fusion, both of which require expensive facilities for reasons briefly described below and explored in more detail in several books[2] [3]. ALPHA focused on magneto-inertial fusion (MIF), a class of pulsed fusion approaches with fuel densities in between those of magnetic and inertial fusion[4], [5] [6]. This paper presents a brief background on the origins of the ALPHA program, the results achieved by ALPHA-funded teams, and a look ahead to potential next steps for low-cost fusion development. OriginsARPA-E's mission is to develop transformational new energy technologies [7]. While DOE has pursued fusion energy as a potentially transformational opportunity for decades, ARPA-E had not supported any work in fusion prior to the ALPHA program. This was in part due to a perception that fusion was inherently the realm of "big science" and that ARPA-E, which runs relatively small, targeted, short-term programs across a wide spectrum of energy technologies-did not have a role to play in that development. In launching ALPHA, ARPA-E sought to change this dynamic and bring new players into the field -both in terms of the kinds of teams doing fusion development (e.g., smaller groups and private startups), and in terms of the sources of funding (e.g., private investors). The ALPHA program

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“…In this section, assuming success with liner and target formation based on the the existing generation of plasma guns [37,25], we evaluate whether a near-term, proof-of-concept, target-compression experiment is capable of demonstrating target heating as an important milestone for PJMIF (using the same coaxial plasma guns). This near-term target-heating experiment would use a subscale liner [26] to compress a subscale target.…”

Section: Feasibility Of a Near-term Target-heating Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6(a) shows that a target n 10 16 is required for l s 1 cm. To determine whether near-term, pre-compression target parameters with n ∼ 10 16 cm −3 can be realized, we consider the problem of merging 6-12 deuterium plasma jets (consistent with the achieved plasma-jet parameters [37,25]) to form a "target liner," which (upon stagnation) results in the subscale target. This is similar to formation of the "compression liner" that will compress the target.…”

Section: Feasibility Of a Near-term Target-heating Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetized Plasma Target for Plasma-Jet-Driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion

Hsu

Langendorf

2018

J Fusion Energ

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We identify the desired characteristics and parameters of a β > 1 magnetized plasma, possibly with highly tangled, open field lines, that could be a suitable target to be compressed to fusion conditions by a spherically imploding plasma liner [S. C. Hsu et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 40, 1287] formed by merging hypersonic plasma jets. This concept is known as plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion (PJMIF). We set requirements on the target and liner such that (a) compressional heating dominates over thermal transport in the target, and (b) magnetic amplification due to compression dominates over dissipation over the entire implosion. We also evaluate the requirements to avoid drift-instability-induced anomalous transport and current-driven anomalous resistivity in the target. Next, we describe possible approaches to create such a magnetized, β > 1 plasma target. Finally, assuming such a target can be created, we evaluate the feasibility of a proof-of-concept experiment using presently achievable plasma jets to demonstrate target compressional heating at a plasma-liner kinetic energy of 100 kJ (a few hundred times below that needed in a PJMIF reactor).

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Experiment to Form and Characterize a Section of a Spherically Imploding Plasma Liner

Cited by 28 publications

References 41 publications

Physics Criteria for a Subscale Plasma Liner Experiment

Physics Criteria for a Subscale Plasma Liner Experiment

Retrospective of the ARPA-E ALPHA Fusion Program

Magnetized Plasma Target for Plasma-Jet-Driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion

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