Nova Upgrade: A proposed ICF facility to demonstrate ignition and gain, revision 1
Abstract
The present objective of the national Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program is to determine the scientific feasibility of compressing and heating a small mass of mixed deuterium and tritium (DT) to conditions at which fusion occurs and significant energy is released. The potential applications of ICF will be determined by the resulting fusion energy yield (amount of energy produced) and gain (ratio of energy released to energy required to heat and compress the DT fuel). Important defense and civilian applications, including weapons physics, weapons effects simulation, and ultimately the generation of electric power will become possible if yields of 100 to 1,000 MJ and gains exceeding approximately 50 can be achieved. Once ignition and propagating bum producing modest gain (2 to 10) at moderate drive energy (1 to 2 MJ) has been achieved, the extension to high gain (greater than 50) is straightforward. Therefore, the demonstration of ignition and modest gain is the final step in establishing the scientific feasibility of ICF. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) proposes the Nova Upgrade Facility to achieve this demonstration by the end of the decade. This facility would be constructed within the existing Nova building at LLNL for a total cost of approximately $400 M over the proposed FY 1995-1999 construction period. This report discusses this facility.
- Publication:
-
Unknown
- Pub Date:
- July 1992
- Bibcode:
- 1992nupi.rept......
- Keywords:
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- Fusion Reactors;
- Ignition;
- Inertial Confinement Fusion;
- Laser Targets;
- Neodymium Lasers;
- Reactor Startup Tests;
- Design To Cost;
- High Gain;
- Laser Fusion;
- Nuclear Weapons;
- Plasmas (Physics);
- Thermonuclear Reactions;
- Plasma Physics