Gas Dynamics in the Central Cavity of the HYLIFE-II Reactortitle

Abstract

In a HYLIFE-II ICF reactor, the microfusion of the D-T capsule in the center of the chamber produces X-rays that can ablate a thin layer off the liquid blanket which protects the first structural wall Thisablated material will implode toward the center line of the central cavity due to the initial vacuum and cylindrical geometry, and then rebound back to the liquid blanket vent through it and exert a pressure impulse'' onto the structural wall. The initial ablation occurs in a very short period with very small characteristic length and the implosion and rebounding processes feature very high pressures and temperatures. The proper design of the chamber relies on the reasonably accurate analysis of the gas dynamics in the central cavity and the gas-liquid interaction. In this paper, a second order Godunov numerical method is used to solve the compressible flow equations in the central cavity. The rarefaction and shock phenomena are very well captured by the numerical calculation. The equation of state for Flibe vapor is used in the calculation along with the parameters for the HYLIFE-II design. Since the radiation transport has not yet been included in the current calculations, the vapor possesses higher energy and therefore temperature.more » The total mass vaporized will also be underestimated in the later time of the calculation. The incorporation of a radiation calculation into this code is our next goal.« less