Magnetized liner inertial fusion
Magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) is an emerging method of producing controlled
There are currently at least two facilities testing feasibility of the MagLIF concept, the
Description
MagLIF is a method of generating energy by magnetically compressing a cylinder of fusion fuel (such as deuterium). First, an axial magnetic field of 10–20
The compression does
MagLIF has characteristics of both inertial confinement fusion (due to the use of a laser and pulsed compression) and magnetic confinement fusion (due to the use of a powerful magnetic field to inhibit thermal conduction and contain the plasma), making it an example of magneto-inertial fusion.
In results published in 2012, a computer simulation using the LASNEX code showed that a 70 megaampere facility would provide an energy yield of 1000 times the expended energy, and a 60 megaampere facility would produce a yield of 100 times the expended energy.
Z Pulsed Power Facility
Sandia Labs planned to proceed to ignition experiments after establishing the following:[5]
- That the liner will not break apart too quickly under the intense energy. This has been apparently confirmed by recent experiments. This hurdle was the biggest concern regarding MagLIF following its initial proposal.
- That laser preheating is able to correctly heat the fuel—to be confirmed by experiments starting in December 2012.
- That magnetic fields generated by a pair of coils above and below the hohlraum can serve to trap the preheated fusion fuel and importantly inhibit thermal conduction without causing the target to buckle prematurely—to be confirmed by experiments starting in December 2012.
Following these experiments, an integrated test started in November 2013. The test yielded about 1010 high-energy neutrons.
As of November 2013, the facility at Sandia labs had the following capabilities:[4][6]
- 10 tesla magnetic field
- 2 kilojoule laser
- 16 megaamperes
- D–D fuel
In 2014, the test yielded up to 2×1012 D–D neutrons under the following conditions:[7]
- 10 tesla magnetic field
- 2.5 kilojoule laser
- 19 megaamperes
- D–D fuel
Experiments aiming for energy breakeven with D-T fuel were expected to occur in 2018.[8]
To achieve scientific breakeven, the facility is going through a 5-year upgrade to:
- 30 teslas
- 8 kilojoule laser
- 27 megaamperes
- D–T fuel handling[4]
In 2019, after encountering significant problems related to mixing of imploding foil with fuel and helical instability of plasma,[9] the tests yielded up to 3.2×1012 neutrons under the following conditions:[10]
- 1.2 kilojoule laser
- 18 megaamperes
In 2020, "the burn-averaged ion temperature doubled to 3.1 keV and the primary deuterium–deuterium neutron yield increased by more than an order of magnitude to 1.1×1013 (2 kilojoule deuterium–tritium equivalent) through a simultaneous increase in the applied magnetic field (from 10.4 to 15.9 teslas), laser preheat energy (from 0.46 to 1.2 kilojoules), and current coupling (from 16 to 20 megaamperes)."[11]
See also
References
- .
- .
- PMID 22324693.
- ^ PMID 24380935.
- ^ "Dry-Run Experiments Verify Key Aspect of Nuclear Fusion Concept: Scientific 'Break-Even' or Better Is Near-Term Goal". Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Ryan, McBride. "Magnetized LIF and Cylindrical Dynamic Materials Properties Experiments on Z". Krell Institute. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ Gomez, M. R.; et al. "Experimental Verification of the Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) Concept". Krell Institute. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- .
- OSTI 1456307.
- OSTI 1529761.
- PMID 33095639.