DOCSLIB.ORG

Stockpile Stewardshipquarterly

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Stockpile Stewardshipquarterly DOE/NA-0066 Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Stockpile Stewardship Quarterly VOLUME 7 | NUMBER 4 | DECEMBER 2017 essage from the Assistant Deputy Administrator for Research, M Development, Test, and Evaluation, Dr. Kathleen Alexander In stockpile stewardship, one of the most Laboratory (LANL) takes a different focus, widely studied phenomena is the equation looking at the EOS and shock-driven of state (EOS). An EOS is a mathematical decomposition of ‘soft’ materials. LANL relationship that describes the state of uses a two-stage gas gun to collect shock matter (i.e., gas, liquid, or solid) using data of polymers to incorporate in their the material properties of temperature, EOS. volume, pressure, and internal energy. The The Joint Actinide Shock Physics EOS characterizes the properties of a state Experimental Research facility two-stage of matter under a given set of physical gas gun at Nevada National Security Site conditions. It is of interest for the metals (NNSS) is used for both hazardous and and non-metals of stockpile stewardship non-hazardous material studies for input application and is critical to understanding to EOS tables. Many EOS experiments Hong Sio, NNSA-supported senior Physics material behavior. Each of our weapon Department PhD student at the Massachusetts at NNSS involve dynamic materials and laboratories has extensive EOS activities. Institute of Technology (second from left) associated diagnostic developments found time to strike a pose with (left to This issue of the Stockpile Stewardship pertaining to stockpile materials. right) Dr. Njema Frazier and Dr. Bryan Sims Quarterly (SSQ) highlights representative (Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation) EOS activities at our national laboratories, Some of our innovative EOS work origi- and Mark Visosky (TechSource, Inc.) at the the Nevada National Security Site, and nated from the LDRD program projects at 59th Annual Meeting of the American Physical in the Laboratory Directed Research and Sandia. Two Sandia projects are pushing Society Division of Plasma Physics in October 2017. Hong designed and implemented a Development (LDRD) program as well as the envelope to deliver EOSs that provide new and unique diagnostic that can measure, efforts to continue our pipeline through data used to determine phase transitions simultaneously, multiple-nuclear-burn histories the Research, Development, Test, and accurately under extreme conditions. We occurring during an ICF implosion. His innova- Evaluation academic alliances programs. tive diagnostic work at NIF and OMEGA led to his invited talk by APS. Congratulations, Hong! We begin with an article that discusses prepareclose out tomorrow’s this issue by stockpile showcasing stewardship the Office how Sandia National Laboratories leadersof Inertial through Confinement the academic Fusion alliances efforts to (Sandia) uses pulsed power to carry out Your efforts in 2017 were greatly programs. The High-Energy-Density appreciated. Happy new year. EOS experiments necessary to model and Sciences Summer School aimed to inspire understand nuclear weapon performance. the 114 young scientists in attendance to Sandia’s Z pulsed power facility is become the next generation of leaders in providing capabilities that are unique for stockpile stewardship. measuring the EOS properties of materials under dynamic compression. At Lawrence Inside Livermore National Laboratory, Gbar pressures on the National Ignition Facility 2 Equation of State Research at Sandia National Laboratories (NIF) are reaching unexplored regimes of 4 Assessing Extreme Equation of State Conditions on the National Ignition Facility density and pressure. NIF experiments 6 Equation of State and Shock-Driven Decomposition of 'Soft' Materials on EOS allow us to address long-standing 8 Dynamic Materials Research at the Nevada National Security Site programmatic questions and meet new 10 LDRD Innovations for Stockpile Stewardship: New Flexibility in Dynamic Materials Research challenges associated with our national Via Pulsed Power and Compressing Materials Under Extreme Conditions security mission. Los Alamos National 12 Preparing Tomorrow's Stockpile Stewardship Leaders Comments The Stockpile Stewardship Quarterly is produced by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation. Questions and comments regarding this publication should be directed to Terri Stone at [email protected]. Technical Editor: Dr. Joseph Kindel | Publication Editor: Millicent Mischo 2 Equation of State Research at Sandia National Laboratories by T.R. Mattsson, D.G. Flicker, S. Root, and L. Shulenburger (Sandia National Laboratories) An EOS is a mathematical relationship methods are developed to create and THOR described in an accompanying that describes the state of matter (i.e., diagnose extreme conditions of matter. An article “New Flexibility in Dynamic gas, liquid, or solid) using the material example of a new exciting development Materials Research Via Pulsed Power" properties of temperature, volume, for Z is the pre-compression capability pressure, and internal energy. The EOS described in the article “Compressing machine. In addition to the experimental characterizes the properties of a state Materials Under Extreme Conditions" capabilities,on page 10 and our finally dynamic the material powerful Z of matter under a given set of physical on page 11. By compressing the sample, properties program has a distinguished conditions. For example, the EOS record of collaborative efforts between determines how hot a material gets when studied as a homogenous liquid mixture experiments and corresponding ab subjected to a strong shock wave. High- andotherwise a range immiscible of additional fluids thermodynamic can be initio calculations, principally those with conditions can be accessed since the density functional theory (DFT). Theory is to model and understand a broad range loading path is shifted compared to used in direct simulation of experimental offidelity systems, EOSs including are, therefore, the structure necessary of experiments at normal pressure. conditions achieved on Z and other Earth and giant planets, high energy platforms, and these calculations have Sandia has a long history of research in EOS, a history that was recently fusion (ICF) experiments on the Z physics models for the design and documented in the book “Impactful machinedensity (HED) at Sandia and Nationalinertial confinement Laboratories simulationbeen critical of to Z developingexperiments. high-fidelity Use of DFT Times: Memories of 60 Years of Shock (Sandia) or the National Ignition Facility is now routine for calculating EOSs and Wave Research at Sandia National (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National electrical and thermal conductivities. Laboratory (LLNL), and nuclear weapon Laboratories” by Jim Asay, Lalit Chhabildas, Jeff Lawrence, and Mary-Ann The Z machine is a multi-purpose high Sweeney.1 The book presents six decades energy density (HED) facility that modelsperformance. when Itperforming is difficult multi-physics to overstate the of development of experimental, material provides capabilities that are unique hydrodynamicimportance of usingsimulations high-fidelity for stockpile material modeling, and hydrodynamics code in the world for measuring the EOS stewardship applications, a critical technologies. At present, EOS properties properties of materials under dynamic activity at all NNSA national laboratories. are measured at multiple Sandia facilities: compression: the Shock Thermodynamic Applied Under extreme conditions in Research (STAR) facility holds several Flexible pulse shaping that enables temperature, density, and pressure, the powerful gas guns/launchers and a range adjustable loading rates for EOS for solids, liquids, gases, and dense of diagnostics; the Dynamic Integrated • ramp compression, shock-ramp plasmas are far more complex than Compression Experimental (DICE) facility compression, and very high pressure textbook EOS models like ideal gas or van with a small launcher and the 2.6-MA (10-20 Mbar or 1,000-2,000 GPa) der Waals. Many different experimental shock experiments techniques, therefore, exist and new next-generation pulsed power platform pulsed power machine VELOCE; the first handbook.3 The excellent agreement is strong support for the theoretical work.2 principlesFigure 1. Shock results, compression direct measured of MgO. temperatures, Left: Shock pressure4 and experimental as a function data of densityfrom Z in from pressure first principles with the temperature theory, experiments inferred on from Z, and calculations data from at the the shock same Right: pressure/temperature phase diagram of MgO showing first conditions.shock pressure. The behavior as the Hugoniot crosses the phase boundaries is particularly important. Notice the significant co-existance between solid B2 and liquid during melting. By combining first-principles theory with experimental data we learn more about the behavior of materials at extreme Volume 7 | Number 4 | December 2017 Stockpile Stewardship Quarterly 3 Adequate sample sizes for extreme pressure experiments to investigate • the effects of microstructure on material response and/or understand the response of bulk heterogeneous materials Pressures and/or time scales that cannot be attained on gas guns or in • laser-driven compression experiments Capability for hazardous materials like beryllium, uranium, and plutonium An• example of recent research combining theory
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Footnotes for ATOMIC ADVENTURES
    Footnotes for ATOMIC ADVENTURES Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder - A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science By James Mahaffey While writing ATOMIC ADVENTURES, I tried to be careful not to venture off into subplots, however interesting they seemed to me, and keep the story flowing and progressing at the right tempo. Some subjects were too fascinating to leave alone, and there were bits of further information that I just could not abandon. The result is many footnotes at the bottom of pages, available to the reader to absorb at his or her discretion. To get the full load of information from this book, one needs to read the footnotes. Some may seem trivia, but some are clarifying and instructive. This scheme works adequately for a printed book, but not so well with an otherwise expertly read audio version. Some footnotes are short enough to be inserted into the audio stream, but some are a rambling half page of dense information. I was very pleased when Blackstone Audio agreed wholeheartedly that we needed to include all of my footnotes in this version of ATOMIC ADVENTURES, and we came up with this added feature: All 231 footnotes in this included text, plus all the photos and explanatory diagrams that were included in the text. I hope you enjoy reading some footnotes while listening to Keith Sellon-Wright tell the stories in ATOMIC ADVENTURES. James Mahaffey April 2017 2 Author’s Note Stories Told at Night around the Glow of the Reactor Always striving to beat the Atlanta Theater over on Edgewood Avenue, the Forsyth Theater was pleased to snag a one-week engagement of the world famous Harry Houdini, extraordinary magician and escape artist, starting April 19, 1915.1 It was issued an operating license, no.
    [Show full text]
  • 108–650 Senate Hearings Before the Committee on Appropriations
    S. HRG. 108–650 Senate Hearings Before the Committee on Appropriations Energy and Water Development Appropriations Fiscal Year 2005 108th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION H.R. 4614 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE—CIVIL DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES Energy and Water Development Appropriations, 2005 (H.R. 4614) S. HRG. 108–650 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005 HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON H.R. 4614 AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOP- MENT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2005, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES Department of Defense—Civil Department of Energy Department of the Interior Nondepartmental witnesses Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 92–143 PDF WASHINGTON : 2005 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS TED STEVENS, Alaska, Chairman THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi ROBERT C. BYRD, West Virginia ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont MITCH MCCONNELL, Kentucky TOM HARKIN, Iowa CONRAD BURNS, Montana BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland RICHARD C. SHELBY, Alabama HARRY REID, Nevada JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire HERB KOHL, Wisconsin ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah PATTY MURRAY, Washington BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado BYRON L.
    [Show full text]
  • Prevent, Counter, and Respond—A Strategic Plan to Reduce Global Nuclear Threats
    Prevent, Counter, and Respond—A Strategic Plan to Reduce Global Nuclear Threats FY 2018–FY 2022 Report to Congress November 2017 National Nuclear Security Administration United States Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585 Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration | November 2017 Message from the Administrator The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Fiscal Year 2018 report, Prevent, Counter, and Respond—A Strategic Plan to Reduce Global Nuclear Threats, outlines DOE/NNSA’s plans and programs to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, counter the threat of nuclear terrorism, and respond to nuclear and radiological incidents around the world. The report is a companion to the Fiscal Year 2018 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, which describes DOE/NNSA’s activities to ensure the reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and maintain its foundational capabilities and infrastructure. In keeping with our commitment to transparency, updated versions of these reports are published each year. Maintaining the U.S. nuclear stockpile and reducing global nuclear threats—two missions that are often thought to involve different technical expertise and pursue disparate goals—are far more interconnected than they may appear. Many activities within these two DOE/NNSA mission pillars are mutually reinforcing and supportive of common objectives. The facilities and scientific knowledge that underpin stockpile stewardship, for example, are harnessed for a range of nonproliferation and counterterrorism missions, from assessing foreign weapons programs and potential terrorist devices to managing the proliferation risks posed by civil nuclear applications. Preventing the spread of nuclear weapons around the world yields considerable benefits for the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Progress in Demonstrating Magneto-Inertial Fusion Science and Scaling Dr
    Progress in demonstrating magneto-inertial fusion science and scaling Dr. Daniel Sinars for the MagLIF team Sandia National Laboratories ARPA-E Annual Meeting August 29-31, 2017 Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) relies on three stages to produce fusion relevant conditions Laser Applied Applied Amplified B-field B-field B-field Current Current- generated B-field Compress the heated Apply axial magnetic field Laser-heat the magnetized fuel and magnetized fuel 2 S. A. Slutz, et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010). Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) relies on three stages to produce fusion relevant conditions Laser Applied Applied Amplified B-field B-field B-field Current Current- generated B-field Can replace magnetic Compress the heated Apply axial magnetic field Laser-heat the magnetized fuel pressure with laser and magnetized fuel ablation pressure 3 S. A. Slutz, et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010). Our project utilizes existing capabilities* at two institutions to demonstrate magneto-inertial fusion science & scaling Initial Conditions Sandia National Laboratories Laboratory for Laser Energetics • Be liner § 80-TW, 20 MJ § 60-beam, 30-TW, 30 kJ, • ρDT~ 1-4 mg/cc Z pulsed power facility OMEGA laser facility • Bz0~
    [Show full text]
  • Progress in the US Inertial Confinement Fusion Program
    28th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2020) Contribution ID: 1386 Type: Overview Poster [OV POSTER TWIN] Progress in the U.S. Inertial Confinement Fusion Program Monday, 10 May 2021 18:20 (25 minutes) Achieving ignition and high fusion yield in the laboratory is a central goal of the U.S. Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program. Three major and credible approaches are currently being pursued: laser indirect-drive (LID), laser direct-drive (LDD), and magnetic direct-drive (MDD). While the three approaches use very differ- ent means for driving a spherical or cylindrical implosion that can compress and heat a mass of deuterium- tritium (DT) fuel (by laser-generated radiation drive, direct laser irradiation, or direct magnetic acceleration, respectively), they share many common challenges, including how to efficiently couple the kinetic energy of the implosion to internal energy of the fuel at stagnation, and how to assemble the fuel at the necessary conditions, in pressure, temperature, and areal density to initiate self-heating and ignition. Significant progress has been made in each of these approaches in recent ICF experiments on the NationalIg- nition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the OMEGA laser facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, and the Z pulsed power facility at Sandia National Laboratories. This includes progress in both advancing the absolute fusion output and, as importantly, improving our knowledge and understanding of the implosion behavior and causes of deviations from ideal or theoretical performance. In this overview, we will review some of the major results from each facility, with a particular focus on recent advances in diagnostic measurement techniques and analysis that have improved our understanding of the states of the assembled fuel and confining shell at stagnation.
    [Show full text]
  • Science Life at Sandia National Laboratories' Z Pulsed Power Facility
    S a n d i a N a t i o n a l L a b o r a t o r i e s June 21, 2010 Science Life at Sandia National Laboratories’ Z Pulsed Power Facility Mike Lopez Manager, Z Pulsed Power Facility Operations Sandia National Laboratories Questions to the crowd . How many of you consider yourselves scientists? . How many of you consider yourselves engineers? . How many of you consider yourselves to be business people? . What do you plan to do after graduation? 2 A little bit about me . Family man – Married with three kids . I like to listen to books and trying to learn guitar . PhD, Nuclear Engineering, University of Michigan (2003) . Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (Lockheed Martin Corporation) Summer 2003: Me and my . Associate Vice President of the baby girl in Ann Arbor, MI Society of MAES . Graduate of the CCUI Advanced Corporate Coaching Program (175 hours of coach training). Over 200 hours of professional career and corporate coaching experience (professional credential pending) . Also a corporate recruiter for SNL and Lockheed Martin 3 This talk is for you What do you want to know? A. A story about hunting for, choosing, and starting a new job and my one piece of advice. B. What we do at Z. Choose your own adventure . Where should I start? What do you want to know? 4 Questions that came from the DOE/NNSA SSGF conference audience: 1. How did I find my position? 2. What factors went into deciding where to go? 3. What factors went into deciding what to do? 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:1911.09223V1 [Physics.Plasm-Ph] 21 Nov 2019 Our Recent Experiments at the 1 MA Nevada Terawatt Used20 for an Annular Shell (I.E
    The staged Z-pinch as a potential high-gain fusion energy source: Rebuttal to I. R. Lindemuth et al. E. Ruskov,a) and P. Ney, H. U. Rahman Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technology Inc. Tustin, CA (Dated: 22 November 2019) Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technology Inc. has been working on a Z-pinch concept where a high atomic number liner is compressing a fusion fuel (deuterium-deuterium, or deuterium- tritium) target. The viability of this so called Staged Z-pinch (SZP) concept as a potential high-gain fusion energy source has been questioned in a recent publication by Lindemuth et al1. The authors attempted to reproduce previously published MACH2 simulation results2−4 for Z-machine parameters using three different MHD codes: Hydra, Raven and MHRDR. Their conclusion was that "there is no conceivable modification of the parameters that would lead to high-gain fusion conditions using these other codes". Although they used well es- tablished MHD codes to check the SZP concept, and correct input current profiles, we show that their Lagrangian formalism was likely not treating the vacuum/liner boundary properly. Proper modeling using Lagrangian, Eulerian or Adaptive Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formal- ism indeed confirms that fusion energy production > 1 MJ can be expected without alpha heating, and significantly higher if alpha heating is included. It is shown that magnetosonic shocks play an important role in preheating the target plasma and in piling liner mass at the liner/target interface, which substantially increases the ram pressure just before the pinch stagnation time. I. INTRODUCTION stable target plasma, even though the liner plasma be- comes unstable21.
    [Show full text]
  • DOE FY 2017 Congressional Budget Request
    DOE/CF-0125 Department of Energy FY 2017 Congressional Budget Request Budget in Brief February 2016 Office of Chief Financial Officer DOE/CF-0125 Department of Energy FY 2017 Congressional Budget Request Budget in Brief February 2016 Office of Chief Financial Officer Printed with soy ink on recycled paper FY 2017 BUDGET IN BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview .................................................................................................................................................................................................1 Funding by Appropriation .......................................................................................................................................................................9 Funding by Organization ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Nuclear Security National Nuclear Security Administration ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Weapons Activities ................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Naval Reactors .........................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The State of the DOE National Laboratories: 2020 Edition
    THE STATE OF THE DOE NATIONAL LABORATORIESENERGY FOR SPACE EXPLORATION U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY’S STRATEGY TO SUPPORT AMERICAN 2020 EDITION SPACE PREEMINENCE (FY 2021 – FY 2031) The State of the DOE National Laboratories: 2020 Edition 2 The State of the DOE National Laboratories: 2020 Edition TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Secretary of Energy ........................................................................................................ 5 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................7 1. DOE at a Glance and an Overview of the National Laboratory System ...................................................11 1.1 DOE at a Glance .........................................................................................................................................11 1.2 Overview of the National Laboratory System ........................................................................................13 1.2.1 Types of DOE National Laboratories ...................................................................................................................14 1.2.2 The National Laboratory Ecosystem and Adaptability ................................................................................... 15 1.2.3 The National Laboratories’ Core Capabilities...................................................................................................16
    [Show full text]
  • A Primer on Pulsed Power and Linear Transformer Drivers for High Energy Density Physics Applications R
    JOURNAL OF LATEX CLASS FILES 1 A Primer on Pulsed Power and Linear Transformer Drivers for High Energy Density Physics Applications R. D. McBride, Member, IEEE, W. A. Stygar, Member, IEEE, M. E. Cuneo, Fellow, IEEE, D. B. Sinars, Senior Member, IEEE, M. G. Mazarakis, Life Member, IEEE, J. J. Leckbee, Member, IEEE, M. E. Savage, Member, IEEE, B. T. Hutsel, Member, IEEE, J. D. Douglass, Member, IEEE, M. L. Kiefer, B. V. Oliver, Fellow, IEEE, G. R. Laity, Member, IEEE, M. R. Gomez, Member, IEEE, D. A. Yager-Elorriaga, Member, IEEE, S. G. Patel, Member, IEEE, B. M. Kovalchuk, A. A. Kim, P.-A. Gourdain, S. N. Bland, Member, IEEE, S. Portillo, Member, IEEE, S. C. Bott-Suzuki, Member, IEEE, F. N. Beg, Fellow, IEEE, Y. Maron, Fellow, IEEE, R. B. Spielman, Member, IEEE, D. V. Rose, D. R. Welch, Member, IEEE, J. C. Zier, J. W. Schumer, Senior Member, IEEE, J. B. Greenly, A. M. Covington, A. M. Steiner, Member, IEEE, P. C. Campbell, Member, IEEE, S. M. Miller, Member, IEEE, J. M. Woolstrum, Member, IEEE, N. B. Ramey, Member, IEEE, A. P. Shah, B. J. Sporer, N. M. Jordan, Member, IEEE, Y. Y. Lau, Fellow, IEEE, and R. M. Gilgenbach, Life Fellow, IEEE (Invited Paper) Abstract—The objectives of this tutorial are as follows: (1) Manuscript received February 2, 2018; revised July 19, 2018; accepted to help students and researchers develop a basic understanding September 4, 2018. This work was supported in part by the U.S. Nuclear Reg- of how pulsed-power systems are used to create high-energy- ulatory Commission through a faculty development grant, in part
    [Show full text]
  • Annex a – FY 2011 Stockpile Stewardship Plan
    FY 2011 Stockpile Stewardship Plan “So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. I'm not naive. This goal will not be reached quickly –- perhaps not in my lifetime. It will take patience and persistence. But now we, too, must ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change. …we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same. Make no mistake: As long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and guarantee that defense to our allies…But we will begin the work of reducing our arsenal.” President Barack Obama April 5, 2009 – Prague, Czech Republic Our budget request represents a comprehensive approach to ensuring the nuclear security of our Nation. We must ensure that our strategic posture, our stockpile, and our infrastructure, along with our nonproliferation, arms control, emergency response, counterterrorism, and naval propulsion programs, are melded into one comprehensive, forward-leaning strategy that protects America and its allies. Maintaining our nuclear stockpile forms the core of our work in the NNSA. However, the science, technology, and engineering that encompass that core work must continue to focus on providing a sound foundation for ongoing nonproliferation and other threat reduction programs. Our investment in nuclear security is providing the tools that can tackle a broad array of national challenges – both in the security arena and in other realms. And, if we have the tools, we will need the people to use them effectively.
    [Show full text]
  • A Tutorial on Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF): Progress and Challenges
    A tutorial on Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF): progress and challenges An attractive path to ICF that could lead to a practical fusion energy source MIT Club of Washington DC 25 May 2015 Presented by Steve Obenschain Laser Plasma Branch Plasma Physics Division U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Work supported by DOE-NNSA The Naval Research Laboratory Navy’s Corporate Research Laboratory 2320 Federal employees/ 849 PhDs / $1.056B/yr Advocated by Thomas Edison (1915) Established by act of Congress in 1916 Startup in 1923 me NRL Pioneered many advances: .U.S. Radar (starting in early 1920’s) NRL developed radars “contributed to the victories of the U.S. Navy in the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal.” .GPS .Vanguard rocket and scientific package (2nd U.S. satellite) .1st reconnaissance satellite Under cover of scientific research: Galactic Radiation and Background (GRAB) satellite system. NRL has a vigorous program in energy R&D “The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) consumed 889 trillion BTU of energy in FY08…..Although this is less than 1.5% of overall U.S. usage, it makes the DoD the single largest energy user in the country.” Energy Sources • Laser Fusion • Methane Hydrates Energy Storage • Nanoscale Electrode Materials for Batteries Energy Conversion • Photovoltaics Power Delivery • Superconductors Fusion powers the visible Universe.. Can it provide clean plentiful energy on earth?5 Nuclear Fusion -- the basics need 100 million oC neutron - n Deuterium - D + confinement + Energy + + Fusion + Tritium - T Reaction Helium - He4 D + T He4 ( 3.45 MeV) + neutron (14.1 MeV) this is the easiest fusion reaction to achieve So what's so good about nuclear fusion as potential energy source? •Plentiful fuel – Deuterium: from seawater • Enough for billions of years! – Tritium: bred from lithium • Enough readily available lithium for 1000’s of years.
    [Show full text]