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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
T. R. Dittrich, S. W. Haan, S. Pollaine, A. K. Burnham, G. L. Strobel
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 31 | Number 4 | July 1997 | Pages 402-405
Technical Paper | Eleventh Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST97-A30792
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We describe several ignition capsule designs, for use in the National Ignition Facility. We compare these designs for ablator efficiency, ignition margin, implosion and stability performance. This study includes capsule designs driven by x-ray drive profiles with both 300 eV and 250 eV peak temperatures. All of the 300 eV designs are tuned to implode the DT fuel in a nearly identical manner. Capsule designs consist of an ablator material (CH with Br dopant; polyimid; Be with Cu dopant; and B4C) encasing a layer of solid DT. The dopants alter material opacities sufficiently to 1) shield the DT fuel from preheat effects; and 2) develop an ablation front density profile favorable to implosion stability. B4C has sufficient opacity at 300 eV that a dopant is not necessary. Issues relating to material properties and fabrication are described.