Physics of Fusion
Lecture 15: Inertial Confinement Fusion
Lecturer: Dirk O. Gericke
Two Different Ways to Fusion
Lawson Criterion:
must be achieved
Temperature must be around T = 6 ... 15 eV
Two ways to fulfil Lawson criterion:
(1)
First solution (magnetically confined plasmas): increase
confinement time
(2)
Other solution (inertial confinement fusion - ICF): increase
density of fusion plasma
Many similarities, but a few decisive differences!
Inertial Confinement Fusion Concept
Plasma Conditions During ICF
Before compression and ignition
Density:
Temperature:
During the burn phase
Density:
Temperature:
Pressure:
solid DT ice at 0.225 g/cm3 and gas
few Kelvin
300 to 1000 times liquid density
300 to 1000 g/cm3 1026 cm-3
around 10.000.000 K or 10 keV
around 1012 bar
Confinement time needed: around 200 ps
Calculating the Confinement Time
Consider homogeneous sphere of DT-fuel at t=0 with Radius R(t) and
constant temperature and density
Sphere explodes with sound speed c s = (2 kBT/ M)
(fastest speed to transport information, fix parameter)
Mass confinement time: tconf = R(t=0) / cs
Time needed for fusion: tfusion = 1 / <v> n0
Ratio tconf / tfusion depend on product: n0 tconf
n0 tconf = (1 / Mcs) R with = M n0 mass density
Parameter R must be as large as possible
Limits for Compression and Radius
Radius is limited by total mass and related energy
that can be handled in target chamber
Compression limited by energy available in driver
since first law of thermodynamics, dU = T dS p dV,
relates compression V and energy input U
Isentropic compression (dS = 0) is better than shocks
Work, i.e. p dV, is defined by p(n,T)
classical ideal gas: p = n k BT
degenerate quantum gas at high densities p ~ n 5/3
Again cold, isentropic compression are benificial
Total energy needed to compress a few mg DT: ~ 1 MJ
Possible Drivers: Z - Pinches
Advantages:
Good energy
coupling
(many x-rays)
Large Targets
Disadvantages:
Very slow
(one shot / day)
Only one device
worldwide
Z-Maschine, Sandia labs, Albuquerque USA
Possible Drivers: Ion Beams
Advantages:
Excellent
conversion from
electric power
to beam energy
Large targets
planed FAIR facility,
Darmstadt, Germany
10 to 20 rings needed
for fusion power plant!
Disadvantages:
Concept was
never tested
Beam intensity
is still too low
Possible Drivers: Lasers (Best Shot)
Advantages:
Well advanced
technology
Good control of
energy release
National Ignition Facility (NIF), Livermore, USA
Disadvantages:
Bad energy
conversion
Very expensive
to build
Possible Drivers: Lasers (Best Shot)
Advantages:
Well advanced
technology
Good control of
energy release
National Ignition Facility (NIF), Livermore, USA
Disadvantages:
Bad energy
conversion
Very expensive
to build
Possible Drivers: Lasers (Best Shot)
Advantages:
Well advanced
technology
Good control of
energy release
Target chamber, NIF with 192 laser beams
Disadvantages:
Bad energy
conversion
Very expensive
to build
Possible Drivers: Lasers (Best Shot)
~1000 large Optics:
192 beam lines:
Engineering challeges at NIF
Advantages:
Well advanced
technology
Good control of
energy release
Disadvantages:
Bad energy
conversion
Very expensive
to build
Compare Driver to Target Sizes!
real NIF target
DT capsule
Schematic
Problems blocking Fusion Energy
Technical and Engineering Problems
High energy drivers are expensive and untested
Energy conversion is too low (gain of >100 needed now)
Repetition rate of drivers are too low (3-10 Hz needed)
Physics Problems
Instabilities and Mixing
Rayleigh-Taylor unstable compression
Break of symmetry destroys confinement
How to improve energy coupling into target
What is the best material for the first wall?
Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Major instability:
heavy material pushes
on low density one
Will always occur since
driver is never
100% symmetric
The Rayleigh-Taylor
instability always grows
Energy must be delivered as sysmmetric as possible!
Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
spherical implosions / explosions
Energy must be delivered as sysmmetric as possible!
Reminder: Direct Drive Scheme
Relaxing the Symmetry Conditions
Indirect Drive
Hohlraum
for the
Z-maschine
NIF design (laser)
Laser beams heat walls
Walls emit thermally (x-rays)
X-rays compress and heat
the fusion capsule
X-rays highly symmetric!
Relaxing the Symmetry Conditions
Fast Ignition
Fast ignition scheme
with many facets
Idea: separate compression and ignition with two pulses
Less compression, cooler targets, lower densities
Problem: How can energy be transferred to hot spot?
Interesting Experiments to Come
National Ignition Facility (NIF, Livermore, USA)
More than 90% completed, first tests done
First full scale experiments this year; ignition in 2010?
Laser Mega-Joule (LMJ, France)
Commissioning (full scale) in 2011
FIREX I and FIREX II (ILE, Osaka, Japan)
Fast ignition experiments showed prove-of-principle
Fully integrated experiments in 2010 / 2011
HiPER project (Europe, R.A.L. ???)
European fast ignition proposal based on NIF
Design work funded last year; full funding pending
Future: HiPER ???
Artist view of the fast ignition experiment HiPER
