An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy (2013) / Chapter Skim
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3 Inertial Fusion Energy Technologies
3 Inertial Fusion Energy Technologies
Pages 89-145
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From page 89... ...
The first sections in this chapter cover the targets, chambers, related materials issues, as well as tritium production and recovery. Subsequent sections cover crosscutting issues of environment, health, and safety as well as balance-of-plant and economic considerations.
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From page 90... ...
; materials development; tritium production, recovery and management systems; environment and safety protection systems; and economic analysis. Recommendations Recommendation 3-1: Fusion technology development should be an impor tant part of a national IFE program to supplement research in IFE science and engineering.
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From page 91... ...
Goodin, 2003, Cost modeling for fabrication of direct drive inertial fusion energy targets, Fusion Science and Technology 43: 353-358; K.R. Schultz, 1998, Cost effective steps to fusion power: IFE target fabrication, injection and tracking, Journal of Fusion Energy 17: 237-246.
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From page 92... ...
Several examples of IFE targets are shown in Figure 3.2. Fusion fuel targets must be delivered in a form that meets the stringent require ments of the particular inertial fusion energy scheme, in sufficient quantity and at a low enough cost to supply affordable electricity to the grid.
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Current target production costs and rates are not useful for estimating the costs of mass-produced targets, although the gap between what can be done today and what is needed indicates that target fabrication for IFE plants is a challenge.
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Microencapsulation also appears to be suited to the production of foam shells, which are needed for several IFE target designs. Capsule designs for OMEGA experiments and direct-drive IFE power plants are shown in Figure 3.3.
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Goodin, General Atomics, "Target Fabrication and Injection Challenges in Developing an IFE Reactor," Presentation to the committee on January 30, 2011.
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, which went well beyond laser drivers to consider all aspects of IFE power by laser direct drive, and the Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) program, led by LLNL, which focuses on IFE by laser indirect drive, have begun evaluation and selection of mass production methods that can meet IFE require ments.
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From page 97... ...
,12 shown in Figure 3.4, may allow higher quality at lower cost. In summary, progress has been made on IFE target fabrication, creating many opportunities for improved materials and technologies, but much remains to be done.
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Nobile, J Hoffer, et al., 2003, Addressing the issues of target fabrication and injection of inertial fusion energy, Fusion Engineering and Design 69: 803-806; R
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From page 99... ...
The objectives of IFE target fabrication R&D must be to understand the physics behind the specifications for inertial fusion target requirements and understand the physics behind the ability to achieve those requirements to such a depth that 14 The seal coat surface for the direct drive capsule both seals the capsule and facilitates its injection into the target chamber without going out of specification by the time it reaches the center.
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The FIGURE 3.6 Inertial fusion energy target gas-gun injection experiment. SOURCE: General Atomics.
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Hoffer, et al., 2003, Addressing the issues of target fabrication and injection of inertial fusion energy, Fusion Engineering and Design 69: 803-806.
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From page 102... ...
Numerical simulations indicate that these fuel capsules will survive even if there is significant gas in the chamber. Consequently, the LIFE power plant study, based on indirect drive, adopts gas wall protection.
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Moses, P Amendt, et al., 2011, Timely delivery of laser inertial fusion energy (LIFE)
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Many of the topics associated with the recycling of tritium and other target materials will be discussed later in this chapter. Conclusion 3-8: Target materials recycling issues depend strongly on the inertial fusion energy concept, the target design, and the chamber technol ogy.
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Conclusion 3-9: An inertial fusion energy program would require an expanded effort on target fabrication, injection, tracking, survivability, and recycling. Target technologies developed in the laboratory would need to be demon strated on industrial mass production equipment.
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27 See C.L. Olson, 2005, "Z-Pinch Inertial Fusion Energy," Landolt-Boernstein Handbook on Energy Technologies, VIII/3: 495-526, Springer-Verlag, Berlin; and G.E.
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From page 107... ...
This is much easier to accomplish for indirect drive, which can have a biaxial or even uniaxial beam geometry, than for direct drive, which requires many driver beams to achieve drive symmetry. In addition to absorbing short-range emissions, the thick liquid layer degrades the neutron flux and energy reaching the solid material first wall, so that the structural walls may survive for the life of the plant (~30-60 yr)
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From page 108... ...
Moses, P Amendt, et al., 2011, Timely delivery of laser inertial fusion energy (LIFE)
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Moses, P Amendt, et al., 2011, Timely delivery of laser inertial fusion energy (LIFE)
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For the chamber, periodic replacement or repair would be undertaken -- hopefully, only every few years. These considerations lead to the following conclusion: Conclusion 3-10: The chamber and blanket are critical elements of an iner tial fusion energy power plant, providing the means to convert the energy released in fusion reactions into useful applications as well as the means to breed the tritium fuel.
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From page 111... ...
For almost all IFE targets, roughly 70 percent of the fusion energy is released as neutrons. For a direct-drive target, typically 28 percent comes out in ions and 2 percent in X-rays.
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There are more avenues to alleviate the effects of ions than the effects of X-rays, because ions are slower, deposit energy over a longer time, and have an electrical charge that allows them to be diverted. For an indirect drive target, with the much higher fraction of X-rays in the threat spectrum (25 percent vs.
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Thus, any indirectdrive target requires some type of replenishable buffer to protect the solid wall. Options include thin liquids, thick liquids, or a buffer gas.
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Laser Indirect Drive Laser Direct Drive Primary Fewer materials issues with Fewer first wall X-ray or ion Simplicity. advantage X-rays, ions, or neutrons.
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The thick liquid wall chamber concepts may not require testing in highneutron-fluence materials facilities. Instead, these types of chambers could be developed and tested using a combination of multiscale modeling, validation experiments, accelerated damage testing, and in situ monitoring, thus reducing the development time and cost of a IFE program.
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From page 116... ...
and subse quent IFE demonstration and commercial fusion power plants. Specific R&D for Dry Walls Dry-wall concepts must be shown to allow propagation of both the cryogenic target and driver beams to the target chamber center; possess adequate component lifetime in the face of neutron and ion damage to chamber materials; and enable ease of maintenance to maximize high plant availability.
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From page 117... ...
For example, if the thick liquid wall chamber can last for the life of the plant, remote maintenance will not be required for that component. It may be prudent, however, to include full remote maintenance capability even if the particular design is expected to have minimal remote maintenance needs.
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These considerations then lead to two recommendations for IFE chamber technologies: Recommendation 3-3: The development of a strategy and roadmap for a U.S. IFE program should include the needs of chamber and blanket science and technology at an early date.
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Sethian, 2001, "Integrated Path for Materials R&D in Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) ," Internal memorandum, Naval Research Laboratory, August.
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From page 120... ...
If dedicated facilities are not provided for these studies, then it is likely that the first prototypes of IFE plants will be needed to perform the final experiments of the materials selection program. Most of the existing studies have focused on the damage-rate effects associated with accelerated damage studies using ion- or electron-irradiation sources com pared to fission reactor sources (both in steady state)
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37 See C.L. Olson, 2005, "Z-Pinch Inertial Fusion Energy," Landolt-Boernstein Handbook on Energy Technologies, Volume VIII/3, Springer-Verlag, Berlin; G.E.
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From page 122... ...
These effects were studied as part of the fast fission breeder program, in magnetic confinement fusion, and in ion implantation studies for semiconductor processing. To some extent, they can be investigated by using energetic heavy-ion beams, where the beam ions mimic the recoiling wall atoms.
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From page 123... ...
Ghoniem, and J.D. Sethian, 2001, "Integrated Path for Materials R&D in Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE)
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Conclusion 3-13: Magnetic fusion energy (MFE) and inertial fusion energy (IFE)
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From page 125... ...
Roberts, LLNL, 2011, "Answers to the Second Request for Input from the NRC Committee on Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems," LLNL-MI-473693, Response to NAS IFE Committee questions.
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From page 126... ...
Malang, 2009, Toward the ultimate goal of tritium self-sufficiency: Technical issues and requirements imposed on ARIES advanced fusion power plants, Fusion Engineering and Design 84: 2072-2083. 46 DOE, 1992, OSIRIS and SOMBRERO Inertial Fusion Power Plant Designs, DOE/ER-54100-1.
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Tritium management will benefit from NIF and OMEGA studies to a limited extent (particularly target fabrication, tritium management, 48 H Albrecht and E
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However, the lack of a breeding blanket in NIF leaves an important area uninvestigated. Scientific and Engineering Challenges and Future R&D Priorities The challenges associated with tritium production, recovery, and management are typically engineering and material challenges rather than fusion science chal lenges.
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From page 129... ...
Recommendation 3-7: The work in the magnetic fusion energy program should be leveraged -- in particular, the studies for the ITER Test Blanket Module program. Much could be gained from taking advantage of these larger MFE R&D programs under way in other countries.
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From page 130... ...
Roberts, LLNL, 2011, "Answers to the Second Request for Input from the NRC Committee on Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems," LLNL-MI-473693, Response to NAS IFE Committee questions; DOE, 1992, OSIRIS and SOMBRERO Inertial Fusion Power Plant Designs, DOE/ER-54100-1; DOE, 1992, Inertial Fusion Energy Reactor Design Studies Prometheus-L and Prometheus-H, DOE/ER-54101; B Badger, K
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54 DOE, 1992, OSIRIS and SOMBRERO Inertial Fusion Power Plant Designs, DOE/ER-54100-1; DOE, 1992, Inertial Fusion Energy Reactor Design Studies Prometheus-L and Prometheus-H, DOE/ER-54101; B Badger, K
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From page 132... ...
Sanz, J Latkowski, 2002, Use of Clearance Indexes to Assess Waste Disposal Issues for the HYLIFE-II Inertial Fusion Energy Power Plant Design, UCRL-JC-147039, LLNL, January 17, 2002.
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From page 133... ...
Sanz, J Latkowski, 2002, Use of Clearance Indexes to Assess Waste Disposal Issues for the HYLIFE-II Inertial Fusion Energy Power Plant Design, UCRL-JC-147039, LLNL, January 17, 2002.
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From page 134... ...
Conclusion 3-19: Design studies of inertial fusion energy power plants indi cate that, with the use of low-activation materials, it will be possible to mini mize high-level waste. However, the amount of waste that requires disposal, albeit near the surface, may be very large.
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From page 135... ...
program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has considered licensing issues more than any other IFE approach; however, much more effort would be required when a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license is pursued for inertial fusion energy. Safety analysis has been an important part of the IFE design studies cited earlier.
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From page 136... ...
Validation and verification of models is extremely important to the NRC and will be an important factor in the licensing process. Recommendation 3-9: Validation and verification of models is extremely important to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and will be an important factor in the licensing process.
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From page 137... ...
To become a practical source of energy, IFE must produce and convert the fusion energy in a manner that is technically feasible, environmentally acceptable, and economically attractive compared to other long-term, sustainable sources of energy. The high-energy neutrons and charged particles from the fusion reactions deposit their thermal energy on the walls of the reaction chamber and in the tritium-breeding blanket surrounding the chamber.
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From page 138... ...
The coolant will pass through heat exchangers, and tritium may migrate through the heat exchangers into the secondary coolant and eventually into the rest of the power plant and even into the environment. These issues are part of the larger tritium control issue discussed in the section on tritium management, above.
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From page 139... ...
For an IFE power plant, the main measures are the cost of electricity generation and, in particular, the capital cost. The capacity (or sometimes called the availability)
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This is true of both fusion concepts, inertial and magnetic. Conclusion 3-23: As presently understood, an inertial fusion energy power plant would have a high capital cost and would therefore have to operate with a high availability.
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Conclusion 3-24: The cost of targets has a major impact on the economics of inertial fusion energy power plants. Very large extrapolations are required from the current state-of-the-art for fabricating targets for inertial confine ment fusion research to the ability to mass-produce inexpensive targets for inertial fusion energy systems.
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From page 142... ...
For example, most past IFE cost of electricity studies did not carry individual uncertainty ranges. Some of the difficulties in using estimates of electricity costs for IFE in comparison with other energy technologies or among IFE options could be overcome, in part, if uncertainty ranges were a required component of cost estimates.
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From page 143... ...
Conclusion 3-25: The financing of large, capital-intensive energy options such as an IFE power plant will be a major challenge. R&D can attempt to address the two major economic obstacles confronting IFE -- namely, skepticism about reaching cost/kWh targets and the high cost per 72 DOE, 2011, Technology Readiness Assessment Guide, DOE G 413.3-4A, Washington D.C.: Department of Energy.
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From page 144... ...
Fusion R&D might want to fol low that example. One goal of R&D could be to design IFE power plants that are naturally smaller or radically cheaper or to improve existing designs.
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From page 145... ...
Based on the information in this section and its conclusions, the committee makes three recommendations: Recommendation 3-10: Economic analyses of inertial fusion energy power systems should be an integral part of national program planning efforts, particularly as more cost data become available. Recommendation 3-11: A comprehensive systems engineering approach should be used to assess the performance of IFE systems.
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