Proposed design and mass production of wire arrays and targets for a Z-pinch IFE power plant

Abstract

This paper summarizes the results of a detailed study reported in Ref. [1]. A concept for a 1000 MW(e) Z-Pinch IFE power plant has ten reactor chambers. A Load, consisting of a wire array surrounding a cryogenic dynamic hohlraum target with a 3-GJ yield, must be produced, inserted into a Replaceable Transmission Lines (RTL), transported to one of the chambers, and shot every second. The conceptual design of the load facilitates automatic mass manufacturing and insertion at 1 Hz at minimum cost. A sequence of operations necessary to (1) fabricate each wire array on a holding and insertion tool, (2) manufacture, evacuate, fill with DT, freeze, layer, and assemble each target with helium gas and liquid hydrogen, (3) insert a wire array and a target under vacuum into an RTL, and (4) remove their debris, is described. Detailed cost estimates derived for the complete load production and solid debris removal cycle in a commercial-scale facility are summarized.