scholarly journals Diamond photovoltaic cells as a first-wall material and energy conversion system for inertial confinement fusion

1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Prelas ◽  
Earl J. Charlson ◽  
Elaine M. Charlson ◽  
J.M. Meese ◽  
Galina Popovici ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Photovoltaic Cells ◽  
Wide Bandgap ◽  
Wall Material ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Fusion Reactions ◽  
Light Spectrum ◽  
Confinement Fusion

Diamond film technology has advanced to the point where electronic devices are now becoming feasible. In addition, diamond has outstanding mechanical properties. The energy given off in fusion reactions may be converted to a narrow-band light spectrum that can be absorbed by wide-bandgap photovoltaic cells to directly produce electricity. The properties of possible wide-bandgap photovoltaic cells are examined for the purpose of fusion energy conversion.

scholarly journals Motivation and fabrication methods for inertial confinement fusion and inertial fusion energy targets

2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.G. BORISENKO ◽  
A.A. AKUNETS ◽  
V.S. BUSHUEV ◽  
V.M. DOROGOTOVTSEV ◽  
Yu.A. MERKULIEV
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
High Power ◽  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Inertial Fusion ◽  
Inertial Fusion Energy ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Target

Popular target designs are reviewed. Possible methods of fusion target fabrication are discussed and the equipment and samples are demonstrated. The properties of the uniform and structured (cluster) materials are considered, showing the advantage of cluster material for energy conversion into soft X rays. The target materials with high content of hydrogen isotopes (BeD2, LiBeD3, or ND3BD3) prove to be more effective for high-power drivers in comparison with beryllium or polyimide.

scholarly journals Synergism in inertial confinement fusion: a total direct energy conversion package

1989 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Prelas ◽  
E. J. Charlson
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Fusion Reactions ◽  
Direct Energy Conversion ◽  
Transport Length ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Direct Energy ◽  
Energy Conversion Devices

The products of fusion reactions have unique properties which can be used for direct energy conversion. These products are neutrons and ions. Neutrons can be transported very long distances through solid materials and can interact with certain elements which have a very high absorption cross section. Ions on the other hand have a very short transport length even in a gaseous medium. It is possible to utilize these products in an inertial confinement fusion reactor with two different direct energy conversion devices: a nuclear-pumped laser using neutrons from the fusion reaction; a photon generator material combined with a photovoltaic converter using the ionic fusion products.It will be argued that a nuclear-pumped laser can be more efficient than a conventional laser. It will also be shown that an advanced energy conversion concept based on photon production and photovoltaics can produce ICF system efficiencies of 56%.

scholarly journals Developments in inertial fusion energy and beam fusion at magnetic confinement

2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
HEINRICH HORA
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Magnetic Confinement ◽  
Skin Layer ◽  
Inertial Fusion ◽  
Inertial Fusion Energy ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Fusion Reactions ◽  
Confinement Fusion

The 70-year anniversary of the first nuclear fusion reaction of hydrogen isotopes by Oliphant, Harteck, and Rutherford is an opportunity to realize how beam fusion is the path for energy production, including both branches, the magnetic confinement fusion and the inertial fusion energy (IFE). It is intriguing that Oliphant's basic concept for igniting controlled fusion reactions by beams has made a comeback even for magnetic confinement plasma, after this beam fusion concept was revealed by the basically nonlinear processes of the well-known alternative of inertial confinement fusion using laser or particle beams. After reviewing the main streams of both directions some results are reported—as an example of possible alternatives—about how experiments with skin layer interaction and avoiding relativistic self-focusing of clean PW–ps laser pulses for IFE may possibly lead to a simplified fusion reactor scheme without the need for special compression of solid deuterium–tritium fuel.

scholarly journals Prospects for high gain inertial fusion energy: an introduction to the first special edition

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2184) ◽  
pp. 20200006 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Norreys ◽  
C. Ridgers ◽  
K. Lancaster ◽  
M. Koepke ◽  
G. Tynan
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
High Gain ◽  
Inertial Fusion ◽  
Inertial Fusion Energy ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Energy Part ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Basic Studies

A European consortium of 15 laboratories across nine nations have worked together under the EUROFusion Enabling Research grants for the past decade with three principle objectives. These are: (a) investigating obstacles to ignition on megaJoule-class laser facilities; (b) investigating novel alternative approaches to ignition, including basic studies for fast ignition (both electron and ion-driven), auxiliary heating, shock ignition etc.; and (c) developing technologies that will be required in the future for a fusion reactor. The Hooke discussion meeting in March 2020 provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in inertial confinement fusion research world-wide to date. This first edition of two special issues seeks to identify paths forward to achieve high fusion energy gain. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Prospects for high gain inertial fusion energy (part 1)’.

Alternatives to tokamaks: a faster-better-cheaper route to fusion energy?

2019 ◽  
Vol 377 (2141) ◽  
pp. 20170431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Clery
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
No Production ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Unlimited Supply ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Difficult Challenge

The use of thermonuclear fusion as a source for energy generation has been a goal of plasma physics for more than six decades. Its advantages are many: easy access to fuel and virtually unlimited supply; no production of greenhouse gases; and little radioactive waste produced. But heating fuel to the high temperature necessary for fusion—at least 100 million degrees Celsius—and containing it at that level has proved to be a difficult challenge. The ring-shaped magnetic confinement of tokamaks, which emerged in the 1960s, was quickly identified as the most promising approach and remains so today although a practical commercial reactor remains decades away. While tokamaks have rightly won most fusion research funding, other approaches have also been pursued at a lower level. Some, such as inertial confinement fusion, have emerged from nuclear weapons programs and others from academic efforts. A few have been spun out into start-up companies funded by venture capital and wealthy individuals. Although alternative approaches are less well studied, their proponents argue that they could provide a smaller, cheaper, and faster route to fusion energy production. This article will survey some of the current efforts and where they stand. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Fusion energy using tokamaks: can development be accelerated?’.

scholarly journals Direct-indirect mixture implosion in heavy ion fusion

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
TETSUO SOMEYA ◽  
KENTAROU MIYAZAWA ◽  
TAKASHI KIKUCHI ◽  
SHIGEO KAWATA
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Radiation Transport ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Heavy Ion ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Foam Layer ◽  
Lateral Direction ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Heavy Ion Fusion

In order to realize an effective implosion, the beam illumination non-uniformity and implosion non-uniformity must be suppressed to less than a few percent. In this paper, a direct-indirect mixture implosion mode is proposed and discussed in heavy ion beam (HIB) inertial confinement fusion (HIF) in order to release sufficient fusion energy in a robust manner. On the other hand, the HIB illumination non-uniformity depends strongly on a target displacement (dz) in a reactor. In a direct-driven implosion mode dz of ∼20 μm was tolerance and in an indirect-implosion mode dz of ∼100 μm was allowable. In the direct-indirect mixture mode target, a low-density foam layer is inserted, and radiation is confined in the foam layer. In the foam layer the radiation transport is expected in the lateral direction for the HIB illumination non-uniformity smoothing. Two-dimensional implosion simulations are performed and show that the HIB illumination non-uniformity is well smoothed. The simulation results present that a large pellet displacement of ∼300 μm is tolerable in order to obtain sufficient fusion energy in HIF.

scholarly journals Ultrahigh-density deuterium of Rydberg matter clusters for inertial confinement fusion targets

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Holmlid ◽  
H. Hora ◽  
G. Miley ◽  
X. Yang
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Flight Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Solid Fusion ◽  
Ultrahigh Density ◽  
Oxide Crystals

AbstractClusters of condensed deuterium of densities up to 1029cm−3in pores in solid oxide crystals were confirmed from time-of-flight mass spectrometry measurements. Based on these facts, a schematic outline and possible conclusions of expectable generalizations are presented, which may lead to a simplification of laser driven fusion energy including new techniques for preparation of targets for application in experiments of the NIF type, but also for modified fast igniter experiments using proton or electron beams or side-on ignition of low compressed solid fusion fuel.

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