Fusion: Making a star on earth and the quest for the ultimate energy source to q gypower the planet

Dr. Mike CampbellDirector, Laboratory for Laser E ti (LLE) U i it

Fusion Forum Alberta CanadaEnergetics (LLE), University

of RochesterCanada Nov 4, 2017

Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) ( )Physics and Technology of the Extremes

Fusion works!

The stars (including ourThermonuclear weapon

The stars (including our own!)

We need to make it work in a Controlled manner in the laboratoryWe need to make it work in a Controlled manner in the laboratory

Desirable Features of Central Power ProductionProduction• Abundant fuel supply

– Globally dispersed The y p

• Environmentally acceptable

• No/minimal public hazards

answer is FUSION !

• Minimal proliferation concerns

• Multiple applications

– Electricity– Electricity

– Water

– Transportation fuels

- Hydrogen

- Biofuels

Heat– Heat

– Other societal needs

•

P> 1011 Atm

Technology of the Extreme: Energy Sources that can “compress their energy in space and time” are the Dri ers for ICFDrivers for ICF

1 million (106) joules in 10-9 sec is 1015 watts!!

Lasers Pulse PowerLasers• NIF (1.8MJ, 500TW)@ LLNL• Omega (30 kJ,30 TW)@ LLE

Pulse Power• Z (25 MA, 80TW)@ SNL

Fusion research: ~1-15 times/12 hrs: energy: ~1-15 times/second

NIF concentrates all the energy in a football stadium-sized facility into a mm3

NIF Indirect-Drive Baseline Target• 4MJ @1.06m (I.R)

The Nation Ignition Facility can concentrate ~ 2MJ and 500 TW ( 5 x 1014 Watts) of laser energy and sized facility into a mm3

• 1.8MJ @0.35m (U.V)• Ignition campaign in 2010 -

1.3MJ(0.35m);Q~15 target gain

( ) gypower in ~10-20 nsec (1-2 x 10-8 sec) onto a fusion target of ~1mm3 and fusion fuel mass of ~1mg

The “set” for a 23rd Century Movie!!

Laser bay Target bayMovie!!

But not powered by Fusion!!!!Fusion!!!!

An ICF target can be thought of as an “imploding rocket”rocket

-rocket fuel (ablator)rocket fuel (ablator)• Energized by the laser

-Payload (Fusion fuel)

Total Mass: ~10-3 grams

Final rocket (imploding) velocity~ 10-3 of light speed (~200 miles/sec)

In In Inertial Confinement Fusion, Inertial Confinement Fusion, a a shell of DT fuel is shell of DT fuel is ccompressed ompressed radially, radially, and ignites from a central hotspotand ignites from a central hotspot

~2-4mmIrradiation

Target is irradiated by Hi h i t it EM di ti

Compression

Fuel core isd b th

Ignition

Fuel core (“hotspot”) h 10 t d

Burn

Fusion processpropagates

~2-4mm

High intensity EM radiation (~1015 Watts/cm2) that heat surface, forminga plasma (ablation)

compressed by therocket-like blowoffat the surface(= spherical piston)

reaches ~10x temp. anddensity of the sunand ignites

propagates through fuelyielding many times the energy

It’s really just a nuclear diesel engine where the piston is made of the nuclear same fuel !

Implosion is a “pressure amplifier”: ignition requires great finesse and a high convergence ratio (CR)

High quality Implosion

Alpha heating and ignition

Capsule with DT Fuel

(CR)

Cold dense 

Implosion CR~ 30

and ignitionDT FuelCompression heating

DT

“h

2 mm

DT “hot spot”

0.1 mm2 mmRequired convergence depends on the energy coupled to the fuel

0.1 mm

There are presently three credible ICF approaches to achieving ignition/gain in the Laboratoryachieving ignition/gain in the Laboratory

Status: where are we today? y

Fusion research on NIF is presently focused on Indirect Drivefocused on Indirect Drive

Ignition requires high finesse, high *convergence ratio (~30) implosion

Principal challenges:• Avoiding laser plasma instabilities

1cm • Controlling x‐ray drive symmetry

• Controlling hydrodynamic instability particularly seeded by the capsule support and fill tube 

capsuletent

Fill tube

p

*convergence ratio = Capsule radius / compressed hot spot radius

X-ray drive on NIF is approaching the “burning plasma”regime and has achieved fuel pressures>250 Gbars!

1000CH LFCH HF

Ignition (with G>1 at NIF, ~ 2MJ)*“Burning plasma”: energy deposited in DT hot spot by

100

300

HDC SC

Q ~1 burning plasma (~70kJ)

Capsule gain > 1 (~150‐200 kJ) 

deposited in DT hot spot by alpha particles exceeds compressional work

10

30

100

Yiel

d (k

J)

Alpha‐heating (~28 kJ)

Q 1 burning plasma ( 70kJ)

(HDC, 2017)

• Improved hydro stability, LPI and hohlraum drive symmetry

D d d b h d1

3

10Y

(NIC, 2012)

(high foot, 2014/15) • Improved hydro stability

• Degraded by hydro instability and asymmetry

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

0.3

1

(March 2011)

Lawson Criterion, 

Laser Direct Drive couples ~5 more energy to the fuel then indirect drive and requires fuel pressure <150 Gbart e d ect d e a d equ es ue p essu e 50 Gba

Advantage:• Lower convergence (~22 vs

Challenge:• Hydro instabilities• Lower convergence (~22 vs

35)• Lower pressure• Higher Yield(gain)

y• “noise sources” from

laser imprinting• Higher growth rates• Thin shells

17

• Diagnostic access • Thin shells• Laser-plasma instabilities

Omega experiments have imploded DT to 56 Gbar about ~40% of thatOmega experiments have imploded DT to 56 Gbar about ~40% of that required for Ignition at NIF energies and scaled fusion yields > 250 kJ

Omega Implosion design and experiments @ 30 kJ are hydrodynamically scaled from MJ energies @ NIFhydrodynamically scaled from MJ energies @ NIF

Overlay of 60 beams

The prospects of ignition/gain for the three ICF approaches will be reviewed In the 2020-2025 time frameframe

• Indirect Drive• Continued focus on “central hot spot• Continued focus on central hot spot

physics• Fusion yields >50 kJ

I i E i i f• Improvements in Engineering features• Fill tubes, support structures

• Hydrodynamic limitations y y• Hohlraum Physics scaling (Laser-plasma

Instabilities) for Laser Energies >~2.5MJ• Ignition?• Ignition?

Direct Drive………….

LLNL and LLE have recently completed a study to determine the conversion of NIF to symmetric illumination- Direct drive in indirect drive illumination geometry (polar direct drive) remains an optiondrive illumination geometry (polar direct drive) remains an option

J. Lindl Book, page 157“ Although indirect drive is the primary approach to ignition on the NIF, developments in direct drive have reached the point where this approach also looks quitethis approach also looks quite promising. With the implementation of additional beam smoothing and more beam ports Nif b bl f b th i di tNif can be capable of both indirect and direct drive.”

21

ICF IFE *IFE

* Inertial Fusion Energy Inertial Fusion Energy

When ICF ignition is achieved When ICF ignition is achieved what what next?next?

24NIF-0911-22893.ppt Dunne - LDRD, September 7, 2011

For several decades the ICF Community has explored IFE Concepts

The technology of an IFE power plant will be very different from today’s ICF facilities: Could the Wright Brothers have imagined the 787?Brothers have imagined the 787?

25

A burning plasma is required to initiate and inspire fusion energy development

An attractive feature of ICF is that a variety of target concepts

b d i h hcan be tested with the same driver

In addition to the mainline ICF concepts, advanced target designs are also being explored

Direct DriveIndirect Drive

Hotspot ignition= fast compression

Polar Direct DriveIndirect drive compression

PW laser (10s ps)

Shock Ignition

Laser powerIndirect drive compression

Fast Ignition

Impact Fast

e-

B

Time

Direct driveDT DD

Impact Fast Ignition

Magnetized Targets

Two-sided Hybrid

Direct drive shock ign.

Advanced Fuels

Flexibility in blanket design allows a variety of missions to bea variety of missions to be addressed by IFE

International interest and efforts in ICF/HEDP areefforts in ICF/HEDP are expanding

Laser MegaJoule (LMJ) in France will ultimately be a NIF class laser capable of ignition research

In addition to LMJ, Europe has an extensive suite of facilities for the study and applications of high intensity lasers

LaserLabEuropeEurope

In addition, ELI (Extreme Light ( gInfrastructure) is a >$1B Program to develop and exploit Ultra-Intense lasers

China and ICF: The SG-III laser facility: 48beams, 180kJ/3ns/351nmbeams, 180kJ/3ns/351nm

Planning is underway for a >MJ laser (SGIV)

Both Laser and Pulse Power facilities capable of ignition research are underway in Russia and Chinag y

Pulse Power Facilities ( Russia, China)

National Security(SSP)

High Energy Density Physics: Matter at Extreme (Astrophysics, Planetary Physics; Condensed matter, N l h i R l ti i ti Pl h i )Nuclear physics, Relativistic Plasma physics)

50Quasi-isentropic compression of carbon

Mba

r)

50Ramp data

tres

s (M 25

St Previous solid state data

Fe Opacity (156 eV 6 9x1021 cm -3)NATURE Editorial Fe Opacity (156 eV, 6.9x1021 cm 3)

smis

sion

0.5

1.0“Laboratory-based experiments are sorely needed to complement the rapidly proliferating spectral data originating from the latest space

NATURE Editorial

Red :dataBlue: opacity

36

Tran 0.0

9.0 13.0Wavelength (Å)

originating from the latest space telescopes”

Blue: opacity model

ICF will require both peak and average power lasers

• Most laser based applications will require average power

Multi-GeV beams from 10 cm scalewill require average power

• Examples:

– Laser based accelerators

from 10 cm scale structures

– Material processing

– Radiation sources

- X-ray and gamma ray

- Energetic Particles– Neutrons– Ions (H+. Cn+)

A d IFE!And IFE!

High peak and average peak power fsec lasers have the potential for a number of applicationspotential for a number of applications

X-rays and THZ radiation

39

IFE laser systems will be highly modular with “unit cells producing ~100-1000 Joules enabling system innovation and wide participation

Numerous applications will result

Einstein did more than Relativity!!!

Even I could not have imagined allhave imagined all of these applications!

Fusion will require careers and dedication

John Sethian• Retired

NRL• Fusion

researcherresearcher >35 years!

42

Opportunities for Canada

• Trained scientists and engineers (i.eDennis Whyte)

• Laser science, technology, and applications for the “unit cell of IFE”applications for the unit cell of IFE

• Advanced manufacturing (targets)• Energy System engineering

• Including harsh environments• Including harsh environments• Applications• Tritium science and engineering

(production, extraction, safety, etc)• Others?