The Case of Inertial Confinement Fusion
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OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Engineering Physics
oml ORNL-6868 OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Engineering Physics LOCK H * M D NJA Jt rim Or" and Mathematics Division ^ Progress Report for Period Ending December 31,1994 R. F. Sincovec, Director MANAGED BY LOCKHEED MARTIN ENERGY SYSTEMS, INC. FOR THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY UCI*13673 {36 W5) This report has been reproduced directly from the ilabie copy. Available to DOE and DOE contractors from the Scientific and Techni- cal Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37> s available from (615) 576-8401, FTS 626-8401. Available to the public from the National Teci rmation Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Rd.,; d, VA 22161. This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, com• pleteness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process dis• closed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily consti• tute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. ORNL-6868 Engineering Physics and Mathematics Division ENGINEERING PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION PROGRESS REPORT FOR PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1994 R. -
1958 Geneva Conference on the Discontinuation of Nuclear Weapons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Presidential Decisions on Stockpile Stewardship Test-Based Stewardship and the Cold War Transitioning to Stockpile Stewardship Science: Research, Development, and Technology Deterrence and the Life Extension Program Global Nuclear Security Timeline of U.S. Stockpile Stewardship Innovation The Path Forward Today, I am announcing my “decision to negotiate a true zero-yield comprehensive test ban.” U.S. President Bill Clinton, August 11, 1995 The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1994 (P.L. 103-160) estab- lished the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) to sustain the nuclear deterrent in the absence of nuclear explosive testing. The SSP supports U.S. national security missions through leading-edge scientific, engineering, and technical tools and expertise – a U.S. response to the end of the Cold War and the need to remake the global nuclear landscape. One year later, on August 11, 1995, Presi- dent Bill Clinton announced that the United States would support a “zero yield” Compre- hensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT): “I am assured by the Secretary of Energy and the Directors of our nu- clear weapons labs that we can meet the challenge of maintaining our nuclear deterrent under a Compre- hensive Test-Ban Treaty through a Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship program without nuclear testing.” This year, the Nation and the Department of Energy (DOE) celebrate the 20th anniver- sary of that announcement and the scientific and technical capabilities that have devel- oped to support this policy direction. The national investment in stockpile stewardship has enabled resolution of many stockpile issues and provided more detailed knowledge than what could have been attained through nuclear explosive testing. -
Article Thermonuclear Bomb 5 7 12
1 Inexpensive Mini Thermonuclear Reactor By Alexander Bolonkin [email protected] New York, April 2012 2 Article Thermonuclear Reactor 1 26 13 Inexpensive Mini Thermonuclear Reactor By Alexander Bolonkin C&R Co., [email protected] Abstract This proposed design for a mini thermonuclear reactor uses a method based upon a series of important innovations. A cumulative explosion presses a capsule with nuclear fuel up to 100 thousands of atmospheres, the explosive electric generator heats the capsule/pellet up to 100 million degrees and a special capsule and a special cover which keeps these pressure and temperature in capsule up to 0.001 sec. which is sufficient for Lawson criteria for ignition of thermonuclear fuel. Major advantages of these reactors/bombs is its very low cost, dimension, weight and easy production, which does not require a complex industry. The mini thermonuclear bomb can be delivered as a shell by conventional gun (from 155 mm), small civil aircraft, boat or even by an individual. The same method may be used for thermonuclear engine for electric energy plants, ships, aircrafts, tracks and rockets. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Key words: Thermonuclear mini bomb, thermonuclear reactor, nuclear energy, nuclear engine, nuclear space propulsion. Introduction It is common knowledge that thermonuclear bombs are extremely powerful but very expensive and difficult to produce as it requires a conventional nuclear bomb for ignition. In stark contrast, the Mini Thermonuclear Bomb is very inexpensive. Moreover, in contrast to conventional dangerous radioactive or neutron bombs which generates enormous power, the Mini Thermonuclear Bomb does not have gamma or neutron radiation which, in effect, makes it a ―clean‖ bomb having only the flash and shock wave of a conventional explosive but much more powerful (from 1 ton of TNT and more, for example 100 tons). -
Memorandum to Participants JASON 1994 Summer Study
Hydronnclear Testing and the Comprehensive Test Ban: Memorandum to Participants JASON 1994 Summer Study Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. 1350 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20005 Tel (main): (202) 783-7800 Cochran (direct dial): (202) 624-9329 Paine (direct dial): (202) 624-9350 Fax: (202) 783-5917 INTERNET: [email protected] Although no commonly accepted defInition exists, a "hydronuclear test" may be generally described as a nuclear weapons test, or high-explosive driven criticality experiment, characterized by a nuclear energy release that is insuffIcient to heat the core material to the plasma temperatures that would cause it to explode "like a bomb." In such a test, the TNT equivalent energy release from fission would therefore not exceed the amount released by the chemical high explosive used to compress the fIssile material, and could be considerably ,less. Nuclear-weapon states, and possibly other states, also perform high-explosive driven implosion experiments using fusjon material, although" these' are not nonnally characterized as "hydronuclear tests". Hydronuclear tests can serve a useful role in the development of the full spectrum of unboosted fIssion weapons, including'first generation nuclear weapons of the implosion type with yields in the 5 to 30 kiloton range, more sophisticated designs with yields up to about a megaton, and advanced micro-nuclear weapons with yields of 5 to 500 tons. For pure fIssion weapons hydronuclear tests can be used to:' * optimize the timing of initiation of the -
Starpower: the US and the International Quest for Fusion Energy
Appendix B Other Approaches to Fusion The main body of this report has discussed magnetic The issues addressed by inertial confinement fusion confinement fusion, the approach to controlled fusion research in the United States concern the individual that the worldwide programs emphasize most heav- targets containing the fusion fuel; the input energy ily. However, two other approaches to fusion are also sources, called drivers, that heat and compress these being investigated. All three approaches are based on targets; and the mechanism by which energy from the the same fundamental physical process, in which the driver is delivered–or coupled–into the target. Due nuclei of light isotopes, typically deuterium and tri- to the close relationship between inertial confinement tium, release energy by fusing together to form heav- fusion target design and thermonuclear weapon de- ier isotopes. Some of the technical issues are similar sign, inertial confinement fusion research is funded among all the fusion approaches, such as mechanisms by the nuclear weapons activities portion of the De- for recovering energy and breeding tritium fuel. How- partment of Energy’s (DOE’s) budget. Inertial confine- ever, compared to magnetic confinement, the two ap- ment research is conducted largely at nuclear weap- proaches discussed below create the conditions nec- ons laboratories; its near-term goals are dedicated essary for fusion to occur in very different ways, and largely to military, rather than energy applications, and some substantially different science and technology a substantial portion of this research is classified. issues emerge in each case. There are two near-term military applications of in- ertial confinement fusion—one actual and one not yet Inertial Confinement Fusion1 realized. -
1 Distant Nuclear Fusion 1. Introduction 2. ITER
Distant Nuclear Fusion By John Benson January 2021 1. Introduction When we look up at night and view the stars, everything we see is shining because of distant nuclear fusion. — Carl Sagan, Cosmos (1980, p. 238) I have been posting papers to Energy Central since 2017, and weekly posts since 2018. During this time, I have occasionally come across a subject and considered writing a post on it. The reason I haven’t is because, even though it is an advanced technology for producing energy, it will not produce any usable electric power for decades. There are currently two experiments that are designed to reach “break-even” fusion within the next several years, but this means that the experiment will inject as much energy into the inner, or core process as comes out in the form of high energy neutrons. Forget any energy-conversion efficiencies outside of the core – no electric energy will come out of these initial facilities in spite of huge amounts going in. One of these two projects, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France. The other, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is here in my home town of Livermore, California. ITER is scheduled to turn on in 2025, and reach full power by 2035. NEF has been running for over a decade. ITER cost $25 billion. The cost of NIF is a bit difficult to parse. The official cost is $3.5 billion, but there were several earlier experiments that led up to NIF, and NIF has been expanded and modified since it was commissioned in 2009. -
R:\TEMP\Bobbi\RDD-8 3-16-04 Reprint.Wpd
OFFICIAL USE ONLY RESTRICTED DATA DECLASSIFICATION DECISIONS 1946 TO THE PRESENT (RDD-8) January 1, 2002 U.S. Department of Energy Office of Health, Safety and Security Office of Classification Contains information which may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), exemption number(s) 2. Approval by the Department of Energy prior to public release is required. Reviewed by: Richard J. Lyons Date: 3/20/2002 NOTICE This document provides historical perspective on the sequence of declassification actions performed by the Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies. It is meant to convey the amount and types of information declassified over the years. Although the language of the original declassification authorities is cited verbatim as much as possible to preserve the historical intent of the declassification, THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT TO BE USED AS THE BASIS FOR DECLASSIFYING DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS without specific authorization from the Director, Information Classification and Control Policy. Classification guides designed for that specific purpose must be used. OFFICIAL USE ONLY OFFICIAL USE ONLY This page intentionally left blank OFFICIAL USE ONLY OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOREWORD This document supersedes Restricted Data Declassification Decisions - 1946 To The Present (RDD-7), January 1, 2001. This is the eighth edition of a document first published in June 1994. This latest edition includes editorial corrections to RDD-7, all declassification actions that have been made since the January 1, 2001, publication date of RDD-7 and any additional declassification actions which were subsequently discovered or confirmed. Note that the terms “declassification” or “declassification action,” as used in this document, refer to changes in classification policy which result in a specific fact or concept that was classified in the past being now unclassified. -
Dangerous Thermonuclear Quest: the Potential of Explosive Fusion Research for the Development of Pure Fusion Weapons
Dangerous Thermonuclear Quest: The Potential of Explosive Fusion Research for the Development of Pure Fusion Weapons Arjun Makhijani, Ph.D. Hisham Zerriffi July 1998 Minor editing revisions made in 2003. Table of Contents Preface i Summary and Recommendations v Summary of Findings vi Recommendations vii Chapter 1: Varieties of Nuclear Weapons 1 A. Historical Background 1 B. Converting Matter into Energy 4 C. Fission energy 5 D. Fusion energy 8 E. Fission-fusion weapons 16 Chapter 2: Inertial Confinement Fusion Basics 19 A. Deposition of driver energy 24 B. Driver requirements 25 C. Fuel pellet compression 27 D. Thermonuclear ignition 29 Chapter 3: Various ECF Schemes 31 A. Laser Drivers 32 B. Ion Beam Drivers 34 1. Heavy Ion Beams 35 a. Induction Accelerators 36 b. Radio-Frequency Accelerators 36 2. Light Ion Beams 37 C. Z-pinch 39 D. Chemical Explosives 40 E. Advanced materials manufacturing 42 1. Nanotechnology 42 2. Metallic Hydrogen 45 Chapter 4: The Prospects for Pure Fusion Weapons 47 A. Requirements for pure fusion weapons 47 B. Overall assessment of non-fission-triggered nuclear weapons 48 1. Ignition 48 2. Drivers 53 C. Overall technical prognosis for non-fission triggered nuclear weapons 54 D. Fusion power and fusion weapons - comparative requirements 56 Chapter 5: Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues Related to Explosive Confinement Fusion 59 A. The Science Based Stockpile Stewardship Program 62 1. Reliability 62 a. Reliability definition 63 b. Future reliability problems 64 c. Relevance of NIF to reliability of the current stockpile 65 2. The US laser fusion program as a weapons development program 65 3. -
A Novel Three-Axis Cylindrical Hohlraum Designed
www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN A novel three-axis cylindrical hohlraum designed for inertial confinement fusion ignition Received: 19 May 2016 Longyu Kuang1,2,3, Hang Li1,2,3, Longfei Jing1, Zhiwei Lin1, Lu Zhang1, Liling Li1, Accepted: 12 September 2016 Yongkun Ding1,2,3,4, Shaoen Jiang1,2,3,4, Jie Liu3,4,5 & Jian Zheng2,4 Published: 05 October 2016 A novel ignition hohlraum for indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion is proposed, which is named three-axis cylindrical hohlraum (TACH). TACH is a kind of 6 laser entrance holes (LEHs) hohlraum, which is orthogonally jointed of three cylindrical hohlraums. Laser beams are injected through every entrance hole with the same incident angle of 55°. A view-factor simulation result shows that the time-varying drive asymmetry of TACH is less than 1.0% in the whole drive pulse period without any supplementary technology. Coupling efficiency of TACH is close to that of 6 LEHs spherical hohlraum with corresponding size. Its plasma-filling time is close to that of typical cylindrical ignition hohlraum. Its laser plasma interaction has as low backscattering as the outer cone of the cylindrical ignition hohlraum. Therefore, TACH combines most advantages of various hohlraums and has little predictable risk, providing an important competitive candidate for ignition hohlraum. In indirect-drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), laser beams are injected into a high-Z hohlraum through laser entrance holes (LEHs) and are converted into X-ray radiation, then the radiation irradiates a low-Z capsule in the center of the hohlraum to bring the central fuel in the capsule to ignition conditions1–6. -
Nuclear Weapons Journal PO Box 1663 Mail Stop A142 Los Alamos, NM 87545 WEAPONS Issue 2 • 2009 Journal
Presorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Albuquerque, NM nuclear Permit No. 532 Nuclear Weapons Journal PO Box 1663 Mail Stop A142 Los Alamos, NM 87545 WEAPONS Issue 2 • 2009 journal Issue 2 2009 LALP-10-001 Nuclear Weapons Journal highlights ongoing work in the nuclear weapons programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory. NWJ is an unclassified publication funded by the Weapons Programs Directorate. Managing Editor-Science Writer Editorial Advisor Send inquiries, comments, subscription requests, Margaret Burgess Jonathan Ventura or address changes to [email protected] or to the Designer-Illustrator Technical Advisor Nuclear Weapons Journal Jean Butterworth Sieg Shalles Los Alamos National Laboratory Mail Stop A142 Science Writers Printing Coordinator Los Alamos, NM 87545 Brian Fishbine Lupe Archuleta Octavio Ramos Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396. This publication was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the US Government. Neither Los Alamos National Security, LLC, the US Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed or represent that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, the US Government, or any agency thereof. -
NRDC Comments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the Issue of Nonproliferation (August 23, 1995 Draft Study)
NRDC Comments on The National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the Issue of Nonproliferation (August 23, 1995 Draft Study) Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. 1350 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20005 Tel (main): (202) 783-7800 Cochran (direct dial): (202) 624-9329 Fax: (202) 783-5917 INTERNET: [email protected] "The National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the Issue of Nonproliferation" draft study prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nonproliferation, August 23, 1995 [hereafter "Draft NIF Report"] is inadequate in its treatment of the nonproliferation issues raised by the proposed construction and operation of the NIF facility. Major deficiencies are identified below. 1. The NIF May Fail to Ignite. The Draft NIF Report is written as if there were no unresolved technical issues that could affect whether NIF meets its performance goals. For example, under 'Background," the report states that NIF "is expected to reach the goal of ICF capsule ignition." (p. 3; see also p. 10) However, there are still unresolved issues regarding whether time dependent asymmetries of the energy absorbed by the DT capsules, within the proposed gas-filled hohlraum targets, will be too large to obtain ignition with NIF. 2. The Draft NIF Report fails to explain fully the primary objectives of NIF and the Stockpile Stewardship Program. The "Background" section states that As part of a broader Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship program, a primary interest of the Department of Energy in NIF is to preserve the core intellectual and technical competencies of the U.S. in nuclear weapons scientists as directed by the President during a nuclear test ban regime and without new weapons development and production. -
Progress of Indirect Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion in the Us
Kline DOI:10.1088/1741-4326/ab1ecf OV/2-5 Progress of Indirect Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion in the USA J. L. Kline1, S. H. Batha1, L. R. Benedetti2, D. Bennett2, S. Bhandarkar2, L. F. Berzak-Hopkines2, J. Biener2, M. M. Biener2, R. Bionta2, E. Bond2, D. Bradley2, P. A. Bradley1, T. Braun2, D. A. Callahan2, J. Caggiano2, T. Cardenas2, C. Cerjjan2, B. Cagadas2, D. Clark2, C. Castro2, W. S. Daughton1, E. L. Dewald2, T. Döppner2, L. Divol2, E. S. Dodd1, R. Dylla-Spears2, M. Eckart2, D. Edgell3, M. Farrell4, J. Field2, F. Fierro1, D. N. Fittinghoff2, M. Gatu-Johnson5, S. Johnson2, G. Grim2, N. Guler1, S. Haan2, B. M. Haines1, C. E. Hamilton1, A. V. Hamza2, E. P. Hartouni2, R. Hatarik2, K. Hernderson1, H. W. Herrmann1, D. Hinkel2, D. D. Ho2, M. Hohenburger2, D. Hoover4, H. Huang4, M. L. Hoppe4, O. A. Hurricane2, N. Izumi2, O. S. Jones2, S. Khan2, B. J. Kozioziemski2, C. Kong2, J. Kroll2, G. A. Kyrala2, R. J. Leeper2, S. LePape2, E. Loomis1, T. Ma2, A. J. Mackinnon2, A. G. MacPhee2, S. MacLaren2, L. Masse2, J. McNaney2, N. B. Meezan2, J. F. Merrill1, E. C. Merritt1, J. L. Milovich2, D. S. Montgomery1, J. Moody2, A. Nikroo2, J. Oertel1, R. E. Olson1, A. Pak2, S. Palaniyappan1, P. Patel2, B. M. Patterson1, T. S. Perry1, R. R. Peterson1, E. Piceno2, J. E. Ralph2, R. B. Randolph1, N. Rice4, H. F. Robey2, J. S. Ross2, J. R. Rygg3, M. R. Sacks1, J. Sauppe1, J. Salmonson2, D. Sayre2, J. D. Sater2, M. Schneider2, M. Schoff4, D. W. Schmidt1, S.