Research and development toward heavy ion driven inertial fusion energy

Abstract

We describe near-term heavy ion fusion (HIF) research objectives associated with developing an inertial fusion energy demonstration power plant. The goal of this near-term research is to lay the essential groundwork for an intermediate research experiment (IRE), designed to demonstrate all the key driver beam manipulations at a meaningful scale, and to enable HIF relevant target physics experiments. This is a very large step in size and complexity compared to HIF experiments to date, and if successful, it would justify proceeding to a demonstration fusion power plant. With an emphasis on accelerator research, this paper is focused on the most important near-term research objectives to justify and to reduce the risks associated with the IRE. The chosen time scale for this research is 5-10 years, to answer key questions associated with the HIF accelerator drivers, in turn enabling a key decision on whether to pursue a much more ambitious and focused inertial fusion energy research and development program. This is consistent with the National Academies of Sciences Review of Inertial Fusion Energy Systems Interim Report, which concludes that ''it would be premature at the present time to choose a particular driver approach. . .'' and encouraged the continued development of community consensus on critical issues, and to develop ''options for a community-based roadmap for the development of inertial fusion as a practical energy source.''

Numerical Analysis of the Hydrodynamic Behavior of Ion-beam-heated Uranium Targets for Equation-of-state Studies under Extreme Conditions

“…In addition, we require a precise hydrodynamic simulation code in which a detailed temperature-and density-dependent stopping power routine is embedded. Furthermore, so far, an accelerator system that can deliver intense pulsed beams demanded by the present scenario is still under development [29]. Extensive studies of neutralized longitudinal drift compression [16] as well as transverse focusing of the beam are essential to achieve the required beam flux on the target.…”

Numerical research on the ion-beam-driven hydrodynamic motion of fissile targets for nuclear safety studies

“…The time t = 0 is defined as the start of the beam irradiation. Considering the recent progress of the longitudinal beam compression technologies (Roy et al, 2005;Seidl et al, 2013), τ was assumed to be 1 ns. It follows that the full duration is 2τ = 2 ns.…”

Total projectile electron loss cross sections ofU28+ions in collisions with gaseous targets ranging from hydrogen to krypton

“…To benchmark the theoretical approaches and semiempirical scaling laws developed for such systems, experimental data covering a wide range of collision energies as well as ion species and target systems are needed. Previous experimental studies of the EL cross sections of low-charged, heavy ions were mainly restricted to energies below 10 MeV=u [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30], whereas for ion-driven fusion scenarios beam energies ranging from about 15 MeV=u up to roughly 500 MeV=u [31] are most relevant and in case of the FAIR facility the energy region of interest even extends up to the relativistic GeV=u regime. Recently, we presented a first EL cross section measurement for a low-charged ion, namely U 28þ , covering beam energies up to 50 MeV=u that was performed at the experimental storage ring (ESR) of the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research [32].…”