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Future of Inertial Fusion Energy.

DE200515013273

Publication Date	2002
Personal Author	Nuckolls, J. H.; Wood, L. L.
Page Count	14
Abstract	In the past 50 years, fusion R&D programs have made enormous technical progress. Projected billion-dollar scale research facilities are designed to approach net energy production. In this century, scientific and engineering progress must continue until the economics of fusion power plants improves sufficiently to win large scale private funding in competition with fission and non-nuclear energy systems. This economic advantage must be sustained: trillion dollar investments will be required to build enough fusion power plants to generate ten percent of the world's energy. For Inertial Fusion Energy, multi-billion dollar driver costs must be reduced by up to an order of magnitude, to a small fraction of the total cost of the power plant. Major cost reductions could be achieved via substantial improvements in target performance-both higher gain and reduced ignition energy. Large target performance improvements may be feasible through a combination of design innovations, e.g., 'fast ignition,' propagation down density gradients, and compression of fusion fuel with a combination of driver and chemical energy. The assumptions that limit projected performance of fusion targets should be carefully examined. The National Ignition Facility will enable development and testing of revolutionary targets designed to make possible economically competitive fusion power plants.
Keywords	Inertial fusion energy Targets Energy Fusion targets Conferences Target performance Inertial fusion drivers Power plants Ignition Designs Economics Costs Fusion power plants National Ignition Facility (NIF)
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200518

Future of Inertial Fusion Energy.

Future of Inertial Fusion Energy.
DE200515013273

Publication Date	2002
Personal Author	Nuckolls, J. H.; Wood, L. L.
Page Count	14
Abstract	In the past 50 years, fusion R&D programs have made enormous technical progress. Projected billion-dollar scale research facilities are designed to approach net energy production. In this century, scientific and engineering progress must continue until the economics of fusion power plants improves sufficiently to win large scale private funding in competition with fission and non-nuclear energy systems. This economic advantage must be sustained: trillion dollar investments will be required to build enough fusion power plants to generate ten percent of the world's energy. For Inertial Fusion Energy, multi-billion dollar driver costs must be reduced by up to an order of magnitude, to a small fraction of the total cost of the power plant. Major cost reductions could be achieved via substantial improvements in target performance-both higher gain and reduced ignition energy. Large target performance improvements may be feasible through a combination of design innovations, e.g., 'fast ignition,' propagation down density gradients, and compression of fusion fuel with a combination of driver and chemical energy. The assumptions that limit projected performance of fusion targets should be carefully examined. The National Ignition Facility will enable development and testing of revolutionary targets designed to make possible economically competitive fusion power plants.
Keywords	Inertial fusion energy Targets Energy Fusion targets Conferences Target performance Inertial fusion drivers Power plants Ignition Designs Economics Costs Fusion power plants National Ignition Facility (NIF)
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200518