DT Mixture Research Articles

Conceptual scheme of a hybrid mesocatalytic fusion reactor

To test the practical realization of the mesocatalytic method for energy production a preliminary engineering analysis and calculation of the separate units of the conceptual scheme of the hybrid mesocatalytic reactor was made. The construction and efficiency of the most characteristic separate blocks of the conceptual scheme for muon-catalyzed fusion are examined. The muon catalysis cycle in a dt mixture was assessed. The kinetics and energetics of muon production through a pion-forming target and a converter were evaluated. Concomitant questions, particularly the removal of helium from hydrogen, are discussed. Fusion chamber requirements were calculated and problems of heat removal were assessed. Blanket construction and efficiency were examined. The efficiency of different methods for power generation were comparatively reviewed including hybrid thermonuclear, electronuclear nuclear, and hybrid mesocatalytic methods. Energy balances and economic restrictions were examined.

A theory for the ion impact broadening of fine-structure sublevels

It is shown that for a wide class of plasma experiments the spectral line broadening caused by ions has to be described in the impact (rather than the quasi-static) approximation. The theory of ion impact broadening (IIB), taking place against a background of electron impact broadening, is developed. It is demonstrated that, in a general case, broadening at the expense of interaction with the ion subsystem can, in a non-trivial manner, depend on parameters characterising the electron subsystem. Detailed calculations are made for IIB of the resonance doublet of hydrogen-like ions Ar XVIII, Br XXXV, Kr XXXVI, I LIII, Xe LIV, which may be added to a DT mixture for diagnostics in experiments on an inertial fusion programme. The results of calculations show that, for these purposes, below subthermonuclear and thermonuclear temperatures the Stark broadening of the red component of the resonance doublet of the indicated ions can be used.

Calculation of the compression of a DT mixture by an electrically exploded cylindrical shell

A possible path to the solution of the problem of controlled thermonuclear fusion consists of heating up a target containing a DT mixture by compressing it with a dense shell accelerated to velocities 3~ 107 cm/sec [1 ]. One of the methods for achieving such compression is the use of megagauss magnetic fields [2]. This method is attractive due to the possibility of obtaining a comparatively high (~ 1%) transfer coefficient of the initially stored energy to the shell. An accumulation of kinetic energy occurs both due to the pressure of the magnetic field and due to the dispersion of material from the shell surface. Both acceleration mechanisms operate when the shell is subject to an electrical explosion (EE) by a strong current pulse. A calculation of the electrical explosion of a thin cylindrical shell upon the discharge of a megajoule capacitor bank into it is performed in [3]. Compression rates up to 3 X 10 T cm/sec are obtained in the calculation; however, the comparatively low rates of current growth provided by a capacitor bank have led to the necessity of choosing a very small initial relative shell thickness %10 -s . The heating of the gas filling the shell and the conditions for the occurrence of thermonuclear reactions were not considered in this research.

The Ion Beam Compressor for Pellet Fusion

Intense ion beams of short duration can be created by charge exchange injection into a number of small, high field storage rings. If the beams are extracted and focussed from many directions simultaneously onto a DT pellet, a beam of protons or a particles of 15,000-30,000 A for a duration of 1-2 ns can result. Such beams have possibilities for compressing and heating to fusion temperatures submillimeter pellets of a DT mixture. The potential of this method is discussed.

Fusion chain reaction-chain reaction with charged particles

It is shown that in the case of a medium which is an exoergic nuclear mixture (a mixture of nuclei which can lead to an exoenergetic reaction) and which possesses a high temperature (\ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{7}$ \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K) or a relatively high density (\ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{4}$ g/cc), a fusion chain reaction can take place. This is due to the decrease in the stopping power of the medium under the conditions given above. Equations for determining the multiplication factor for a binary mixture under various physical conditions are derived. The multiplication factor is calculated for a DT mixture. It is concluded that for an exoergic nuclear mixture there exists a critical temperature or a critical density which limits the slow release of fusion nuclear energy. For an infinite medium of 50% DT mixture the critical temperature and the critical density are \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{7}$ \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{3}$ g/cc, respectively. In a finite medium the values are higher and there exists a critical mass which limits the possibility for the development of a fusion chain reaction. This critical mass was estimated and in first approximation is ${m}_{\mathrm{cr}} (\mathrm{in}\mathrm{grams})=1/{(\mathrm{density}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{the}\mathrm{medium}\mathrm{in} \mathrm{g}/\mathrm{cc})}^{2}$.

Fusion Chain Reaction—Chain Reaction with Charged Particles

It is shown that in the case of a medium which is an exoergic nuclear mixture (a mixture of nuclei which can lead to an exoenergetic reaction) and which possesses a high temperature (\ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{7}$ \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K) or a relatively high density (\ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{4}$ g/cc), a fusion chain reaction can take place. This is due to the decrease in the stopping power of the medium under the conditions given above. Equations for determining the multiplication factor for a binary mixture under various physical conditions are derived. The multiplication factor is calculated for a DT mixture. It is concluded that for an exoergic nuclear mixture there exists a critical temperature or a critical density which limits the slow release of fusion nuclear energy. For an infinite medium of 50% DT mixture the critical temperature and the critical density are \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{7}$ \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{3}$ g/cc, respectively. In a finite medium the values are higher and there exists a critical mass which limits the possibility for the development of a fusion chain reaction. This critical mass was estimated and in first approximation is ${m}_{\mathrm{cr}} (\mathrm{in}\mathrm{grams})=1/{(\mathrm{density}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{the}\mathrm{medium}\mathrm{in} \mathrm{g}/\mathrm{cc})}^{2}$.