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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Zap Energy hits 37-million-degree electron temperatures in compact fusion device
Zap Energy announced April 23 that it has reached 1-3 keV plasma electron temperatures—roughly the equivalent of 11 to 37 million degrees Celsius—using its sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch approach to fusion. Reaching temperatures above that of the sun’s core (which is 10 million degrees Celsius temperature) is just one hurdle required before any fusion confinement concept can realistically pursue net gain and fusion energy.
John D. Sethian, Steve Obenschain
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 61 | Number 1 | January 2012 | Pages 41-46
Fusion | Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A13394
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We are developing the science and technology underpinnings for a fusion power source based on direct drive targets and krypton fluoride (KrF) lasers. Direct drive is chosen for its simplicity in the both the target physics and target fabrication, for its capability to achieve high energy gains, and for its unique potential to use a simple evacuated reaction chamber. KrF lasers have inherent physics advantages for achieving the robust high performance needed for the energy application. Gains greater than 140 are predicted with a relatively low laser energy of 1 MJ. Gains of 200 are predicted with energies of around 2 MJ. KrF also has engineering advantages (e.g. the gas the gas medium easier to cool than solid state laser media). Credible technologies have been identified for most of the key components for a power plant using direct laser drive, including: target fabrication, injection, and tracking; the optical system; the reaction chamber; and the major subsystems. In many cases these technologies have been demonstrated in small scale tests. This paper gives an overview of the progress in all these areas, and gives a more detailed discussion on solutions for the reaction chamber (including nano-engineered first wall and magnetic intervention). Further details can be found in the references listed at the end of this paper.