B. A. Vermillion

A cost-effective target supply for inertial fusion energy

A central feature of an inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plant is a target that has been compressed and heated to fusion conditions by the energy input of the driver. This is true whether the driver is a laser system, heavy ion beams or Z-pinch system. The IFE target fabrication, injection and tracking programmes are focusing on methods that will scale to mass production. We are working closely with target designers, and power plant systems specialists, to make specifications and material selections that will satisfy a wide range of required and desirable target characteristics. One-of-a-kind capsules produced for today’s inertial confinement fusion experiments are estimated to cost about US

Demonstrating a Target Supply for Inertial Fusion Energy

2500 each. Design studies of cost-effective power production from laser and heavy-ion driven IFE have suggested a cost goal of about

Developing a commercial production process for 500 000 targets per day : A key challenge for inertial fusion energy

0.25–0.30 for each injected target (corresponding to ∼10% of the ‘electricity value’ in a target). While a four orders of magnitude cost reduction may seem at first to be nearly impossible, there are many factors that suggest this is achievable. This paper summarizes the design, specifications, requirements and proposed manufacturing processes for the future for laser fusion, heavy ion fusion and Z-pinch driven targets. These target manufacturing processes have been developed—and are proposed—based on the unique materials science and technology programmes that are ongoing for each of the target concepts. We describe the paradigm shifts in target manufacturing methodologies that will be needed to achieve orders of magnitude reductions in target costs, and summarize the results of ‘nth-of-a-kind’ plant layouts and cost estimates for future IFE power plant fuelling. These engineering studies estimate the cost of the target supply in a fusion economy, and show that costs are within the range of commercial feasibility for electricity production.

The Production and Characterization of Banded GDP Capsules for Defect Implosion Experiments on Omega

Abstract A central feature of an Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) power plant is a target that has been compressed and heated to fusion conditions by the energy input of the driver. The technology to economically manufacture and then position cryogenic targets at chamber center is at the heart of future IFE power plants. For direct drive IFE (laser fusion), energy is applied directly to the surface of a spherical CH polymer capsule containing the deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion fuel at approximately 18K. For indirect drive (heavy ion fusion, HIF), the target consists of a similar fuel capsule within a cylindrical metal container or ’’hohlraum’’ which converts the incident driver energy into x-rays to implode the capsule. For either target, it must be accurately delivered to the target chamber center at a rate of about 5-10Hz, with a precisely predicted target location. Future successful fabrication and injection systems must operate at the low cost required for energy production (about

Development of a New Horizontal Rotary GDP Coater Enabling Increased Production

0.25/target, about 104 less than current costs). Z-pinch driven IFE (ZFE) utilizes high current pulses to compress plasma to produce x-rays that indirectly heat a fusion capsule. ZFE target technologies utilize a repetition rate of about 0.1 Hz with a higher yield. This paper provides an overview of the proposed target methodologies for laser fusion, HIF, and ZFE, and summarizes advances in the unique materials science and technology development programs.

Developments in the Production of Iron Doped and High-Aspect-Ratio SiGDP to Glass Capsules

As is true for current-day commercial power plants, a reliable and economic fuel supply is essential for the viability of future Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) [Energy From Inertial Fusion, edited by W. J. Hogan (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1995)] power plants. While IFE power plants will utilize deuterium-tritium (DT) bred in-house as the fusion fuel, the “target” is the vehicle by which the fuel is delivered to the reaction chamber. Thus the cost of the target becomes a critical issue in regard to fuel cost. Typically six targets per second, or about 500 000∕day are required for a nominal 1000MW(e) power plant. The electricity value within a typical target is about

Mass Production Methods for IFE Targets

3, allocating 10% for fuel cost gives only 30 cents per target as-delivered to the chamber center. Complicating this economic goal, the target supply has many significant technical challenges—fabricating the precision fuel-containing capsule, filling it with DT, cooling it to cryogenic temperatures, layering the DT into a unifo...

Evaluation of Fluidized Beds for Mass Production of IFE Targets

Abstract General Atomics has supported the Los Alamos National Laboratory Defect Implosion Experiment series on OMEGA with the process design and production of banded, gas-tight, glow discharge polymer (GDP) capsules. Production of a banded target is a multistep, multidisciplinary process requiring micromachining for the band, GDP coating for the capsule wall, and aluminum sputter coating to seal the capsules for subsequent gas fill. Challenges included applying a micromachining technique to create the channel that would result in the desired band after coating, and modification of the aluminum coating process to create a permeation barrier that would cover the banded region to allow for gas filling. Information describing the fabrication steps and characterization techniques employed to analyze the banded targets will be presented.

Rep-Rated Target Injection for Inertial Fusion Energy

Abstract Providing glow discharge polymer (GDP) coatings is a key step in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) target production. Typical target delivery quantities may require several GDP coating runs consisting of up to 80 mandrels per batch. This work undertakes research and development to create a new configuration for the GDP coating apparatus that will enable batch sizes into the hundreds or thousands. This will reduce costs associated with target production and make delivery of ICF targets more efficient. In addition, there is a synergy between this work and Inertial Fusion s’Energy (IFE’s) need for half a million targets per day for energy production, as well as future commercial applications. Recently we have demonstrated the capability to meet the NIF CH surface standard, confirmed via statistical sampling, in a 400 capsule batch coated with 10 μm of GDP, a key benchmark for successful coatings.

The Assembly and Characterization of Dynamic Hohlraum Double-Shell Targets

Abstract Large-diameter (>1600-μm), thin-walled (<5-μm) glass capsules suitable for use in the intertial confinement fusion program have been successfully manufactured using the silicon doped glow discharge polymer (SiGDP) conversion process. The SiGDP conversion process not only enhances the capabilities of high-aspect-ratio glass capsule fabrication, it also is instrumental in the manufacture of iron doped glass capsules (up to 1 at. % iron) for mix experiments.