Ignition Approach Research Articles

Effect of irradiation uniformity on quasi-isentropic shock compression of solid spheres

In inertial confinement fusion using central ignition, the ignition hot spot is generated through self-heating during fuel compression. In contrast, fast ignition creates the hot spot through external heating. This difference allows the fast ignition approach to use a solid sphere as the fusion fuel shape. The implosion of a solid sphere is one form of laser-direct-drive slow implosion. Solid sphere fuel exhibits tolerance to hydrodynamic instability and can be mass-produced relatively easily, offering significant advantages for developing inertial fusion energy. Achieving high fuel peak and areal densities of with a solid sphere requires quasi-isentropic compression, which involves multiple shock waves. Our results show the critical role of uniform laser irradiation in initiating weak shock waves in the early phase, which is essential for forming a uniform and dense fuel core with solid spheres. Furthermore, dynamically adjusting the laser spot diameter could be crucial in optimizing the effectiveness of laser-direct-drive and fast ignition techniques when using solid sphere fuel.

Experimental analysis of dual-stage ignition biomass downdraft gasifier based on various gasification media for the generation of high-quality producer gas

A dual-stage biomass ignition downdraft gasifier has been set-up with the four experimental approaches such as hot air ignition, hot air plus producer gas ignition, oxygen ignition and oxy-steam ignition approach. The experimental unit has been tested at electrical resistance loads of 15.24 kW, 23.62 kW, 27.43 kW, 32 kW and 38.86 kW. This unit provides a useful energy output of nearly 95.37 % in oxy-steam ignition approach at maximum load. The gasification medium is provided at the combustion zone as well as in pyrolysis zone for the complete and partial combustion in the respective regions through the installed nozzles. In the oxy-steam ignition approach, the enhanced quality of producer gas generates, which contains 94 % combustible gases in the producer gas. The Higher Heating Value (HHV) is 12.317 MJ/Nm3, whereas the biomass consumption rate is attained 21 kg/h at the highest resistive load with 1430–1590 °C grate temperature under the oxy-steam ignition approach. The proportion of tar is obtained 0.2 mg/Nm3 after the syngas cooling and cleaning arrangement with moisture content of 6 %, while a significant improvement of 21.26 % has been noted in efficiency under the oxy-steam ignition approach.

Geometry effects on energy selective focusing of laser-driven protons with open and closed hemisphere-cone targets

Relativistically intense laser light interacting with solid density targets can accelerate protons to multi-MeV energies via the target normal sheath acceleration process. The use of hollow hemisphere targets with a hollow conical region to focus protons of selected energies, for applications such as isochoric heating of matter and for the fast ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion, is explored for laser intensity Wcm−2. Specifically, the effects of having the cone tip open or closed is investigated experimentally and via a programme of scaled particle-in-cell simulations. The open cone configuration is found to result in proton focusing in the energy range of 9 to 24 MeV, and produce an annular profile for higher energy components, up to 55 MeV, while the spatial distribution of lower energy components remains unchanged. By contrast, for the closed cone case, the focusing effect is diminished by the fields present on the inner wall of the cone tip. Simulations reveal that strong electrostatic and magnetic fields present on the inner surfaces of the target induce the focusing effect with the open cone, but also result in proton divergence in the case of the closed cone. Additionally, the simulations demonstrate the possibility to tailor the cone geometry to select the energy range over which the focusing occurs.

Fast correlation heating in moderately coupled electron–ion plasmas

If the electrons in a plasma are suddenly heated, the resulting change in Debye shielding causes the ion kinetic energy to quickly increase. For the first time, this correlation heating, which is much faster than collisional energy exchange, is rigorously derived for a moderately coupled, electron–ion plasma. The electron–ion mass ratio is taken to be the smallest parameter in the Bogoliubov–Born–Green–Kirkwood–Yvon hierarchy, smaller even than the reciprocal of the plasma parameter. This ordering differs from conventional kinetic theory by making the electron collision rates faster than the ion plasma frequency, which allows stronger coupling and makes the ion heating a function only of the total energy supplied to the electrons. The calculation uses known formulae for correlations in a two-temperature plasma, for which a new, elementary derivation is presented. Suprathermal ions may be created more rapidly by this mechanism than by ion–electron Coulomb collisions. This means that the use of a femtosecond laser pulse could potentially help to achieve ignition in certain fast ignition approaches to inertial confinement fusion.

A new approach to ignition time prediction in crude oil oxidation using PDSC

In-situ combustion process is recognized as being one of the promising methods in the field of enhanced oil recovery. In this study, we developed a procedure for estimating ignition time using pressurized differential scanning calorimetric technique (PDSC) and the chain reaction ignition approach. The procedure was based on the free-radical mechanism of oxidation and was successfully applied to PDSC kinetic curves processing. The initial stages of oxidation of crude oils A and B were studied in detail. It was found that the procedure for processing the oils' activity to oxidation was characterized by a heat release time exponential dependence factor (φ − factor). Even though oil A and oil B exhibit comparable kinetic parameters of oxidation, there is a marked difference in their behavior. Oil A demonstrated an induction period of 27 days and a φ value of 0.0123. Conversely, oil B did not initiate combustion within a suitable timeframe in-situ, and presented a lower φ value of 0.0067. The results of pilot tests using oil A and B were consistent with the predictions and demonstrated the potential of the proposed approach.

Influence of Exposure Cd1-xMgx Fe₂O4 Compound by RF Plasma

Background:
 The work focuses on enhancing the structural properties, where the Cd1-x Mgx Fe2O4 products prepared by sol-gel solution were characterized. Auto ignition approach using several automated equipment, as FESEM, XRD, for concentrations (x=0.0,0.8 and 1), post-synthesis plasmas were exposed in a low-pressure chamber using the RF Magnetron Sputtering System and the results compared. by X-ray diffraction analysis, confirms the configuration to the FCC cubic structure of the studied samples. Plasma treatment did not affect the crystallization but the crystal size (D) of the particle size decreases after exposure to plasma from (32.33- 27.083)nm . Morphological studies confirmed surface shape changes and particle size reduction upon exposure to plasma.
 Materials and Methods:
 The sol-gel method common and old a chemical process for the production of a variety of nanostructures, most notably nanoparticles of metal oxide. In which The molecular feedstock is combined with water or alcohol and then subjected to moderate heating while being agitated. The basic principle pertaining to the sol-gel technology is to manufacture a homogenous solution created from raw materials also then gelatinized . The powders are ground and sintered in a refractory oven at 1100 ° C for 6 hours. The powder was then pressed by a hydraulic press at a pressure of 150 kN into molds to form a disc with a diameter of 20 mm. The work will take place in two phases: before exposing it to the plasma, and then when the samples are placed into the RF Magnetron Sputtering.
 Results:
 The X-ray measurements showed that the un-exposure and plasma- exposure samples have a cubic spinel structure, and that the variation of the structural parameters with the exposure is irregular, Consequently enhancing the atoms' ability to diffuse after being put onto the substrate and grain size of the sample. The morphological analysis of the as-prepared ferrite Cd1-xMgxFe2O4 samples was performed using FE-SEM, which gives details on the size and structure of the particles that make up the nanocrystals. The surface exposed to the plasma shows a change in the positions of the crystals and their cohesion with each other , which may result from a decrease in supermagnetic effect and lattice defects in Ferrite nanocrystalline films.
 Conclusion:
 The aim of this work is to synthesize Cd1-xMgx Fe₂O4 ferrite nanoparticles in spinel cube structure by sol-gel self-combustion method. Then, the synthesis of thermal plasma using Radio frequency (RF) plasma, where the structural properties, surface shape, and interpretation were studied properties of ferrite nanoparticles produced before and after plasma exposure. According to the conducted XRD investigations the validity of the cubic spinel structure of ferrite and that the irregular difference in the size of the crystals before and after the exposure, the particle size decreases after exposure to plasma from (32.33- 27.083)nm, and the capillary parameter they were reduced from (8.892 to 8.743)nm for plasma-treated samples. the results obtained from shaping cubic spinel phase in both iron nanoparticles before and after plasma exposure supported by the XRD results. The morphological study revealed irregularity grain distribution and dominant agglomeration in ferrite before and after exposure.

Focused Energy, A New Approach Towards Inertial Fusion Energy

Focused Energy is a new startup company with the goal of developing laser-driven inertial fusion energy for electrical power production. The company combines the results from decades of fundamental research in inertial confinement fusion at universities and national laboratories with the flexibility and the speed of a startup company. Focused Energy has chosen the direct-drive, proton fast ignition approach to reach ignition, burn and high gain as the most promising approach. Located in Austin/US and Darmstadt/Germany, supported by the science community and private investment Focused Energy is paving the way to inertial fusion energy combining the best skill set and state-of-the-art technology from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In this paper we discuss the details and reasoning for the approach and the technical directions we have chosen. We will outline our roadmap for getting to a fusion pilot plant in the mid to late 2030s.

Experimental investigation of a dual stage ignition biomass downdraft gasifier for deriving the engine quality gas

The dual stage ignition biomass downdraft gasifier is the promising technology for huge tar reduction, based on two experimental approaches such as single stage and dual stage ignition. The whole unit has been tested with gradually increasing electric resistive load from 15.24 kW to 38.86 kW with a useful energy output of nearly 86.41 %. In single stage ignition approach, the hot air is only supplied at the combustion zone through a nozzle, while the two-stage ignition approach has supply of the premixed gas (hot air plus producer gas) at the pyrolysis zone for partial combustion. In dual stage ignition, the enhanced quality of producer gas comes from 56 % combustible gas with the HHV of 6.415 MJ/Nm3, while the biomass consumption rate is 59 kg/h at the maximum load with grate temperature of 1310−1360 °C. The tar content after gas cooling and cleaning unit is 8 mg/Nm3 with 15 % improvement in efficiency.

Combustion characteristic of low calorific gas under pilot ignition condition—Exploring the influence of pilot flame products

Low calorific gas (LCG) is a huge thermal energy resource, but its utilization is poor due to the low reactivity and a tendency of high NOx emission. Present work proposed to combine the pilot ignition and air staging approach, to respectively overcome the difficulty in LCGs ignition and reduce its NOx emission. Experiment and numerical simulation were conducted to explore combustion characteristic of LCG during pilot ignition. Some previous proposed kinetics models for CH4 or CO combustion were evaluated that whether they capture the NO or H2O influence, respectively, within this complex flue gas atmosphere, and the mechanisms were further explored. Adding 0.04 vol% NO reduces the ignition temperature of CH4 based LCG from 750 to 510 °C under pilot ignition condition. This promotion is via a NO/NO2 cycle of NO + HO2→NO2+ OH andCH3+ NO2→CH3O + NO, to enhance CH3 oxidation rate by ∼ 30 times. In that cycle, the NO formation (NO2 consumption) rate is higher than the NO2 formation (NO consumption), causing only NO but no NO2 was preserved in flue gas under pilot ignition condition. The effect of adding NO to CO based LCG is dependent on H2O presence, where it makes no difference without H2O presence, but has an improvement on “moist gas” reactivity. Neither the commonly used kinetics models of CH4 combustion nor those for CO contained syngas gas can predict reactivity of “dry CO contained LCG” under pilot ignition condition.

Shock-Augmented Ignition Approach to Laser Inertial Fusion

Shock ignition enables high gain at low implosion velocity, reducing ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth, which can degrade conventional direct drive. With this method, driving a strong shock requires high laser power and intensity, resulting in inefficiencies in the drive and the generation of hot electrons that can preheat the fuel. A new "shock-augmented ignition" pulse shape is described that, by preconditioning the ablation plasma before launching a strong shock, enables the shock ignition of thermonuclear fuel, but importantly, with substantially reduced laser power and intensity requirements. The reduced intensity requirement with respect to shock ignition limits laser-plasma instabilities, such as stimulated Raman and Brillouin scatter, reducing the risk of hot-electron preheat and restoring the laser coupling advantages of conventional direct drive. Simulations indicate that, due to the reduced power requirements, high gain (∼100) ignition of large-scale direct drive implosions (outer radius ∼1750 μm, deuterium-tritium ice thickness ∼165 μm) may be possible within the power and energy limits of existing facilities such as the National Ignition Facility. Moreover, this concept extends to indirect drive implosions, which exhibit substantial yield increases at reduced implosion velocity. Shock-augmented ignition expands the viable design space of laser inertial fusion.

Study of Flame Kernel Development at High EGR and High Flow Speed Using Conventional Spark Igniter and Non-Thermal Plasma Under Gasoline Engine Relevant Conditions

ABSTRACT As a novel ignition approach, nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharge (NRPD)-based non-thermal plasma offers significant benefits such as low energy consumption, and lean operating conditions. However, there is no investigation conducted on the early flame kernel formation and development induced by non-thermal plasma. Therefore, in this paper, experiments of conventional spark and non-thermal plasma ignition systems in constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC) are conducted under gasoline engine relevant conditions: wide initial ambient pressures (6.5, 8.3, 11.3 bar), a range of equivalence ratios (0.7–1.0), EGR rates (10−25%), and cross flow speeds (0–30 m/s). The discharge energy of non-thermal plasma is of around 210 mJ, while a single spark event can generate energy from 65 mJ to 83 mJ depending on ambient conditions. A consecutive spark strategy is adopted to guarantee comparable total input energy to non-thermal plasma. The ignition delay and combustion phase obtained from the chamber pressure history are calculated. In the meanwhile, flame kernel radius, flame propagation rate, and flame front length ratio via schlieren images are quantified and analyzed. Results showed that the flame initiated by non-thermal plasma can maintain a robust flame kernel and propagates fast. Under high-speed cross flow and high EGR rate conditions, non-thermal plasma can maintain a robust flame kernel at early stage supporting the initial flame kernel to survive and improve its ignition probability. Considering the effects of the EGR ratio and high-speed cross flow on flame kernel development, non-thermal plasma ignition can efficiently enhance the flame propagation and ignition probability. It is also concluded that non-thermal plasma can successfully ignite under lean (equivalence ratio between 0.7–1.0), high-diluted mixture (25% EGR), and high-speed cross flow of 30 m/s within the range of current study.

Subpicosecond pre-plasma dynamics of a high contrast, ultraintense laser-solid target interaction.

Using the spectral interferometry technique, we measured subpicosecond time-resolved pre-plasma scale lengths and early expansion (<12 ps) of the plasma produced by a high intensity (6 × 1018 W/cm2) pulse with high contrast (109). We measured pre-plasma scale lengths in the range of 3-20 nm, before the arrival of the peak of the femtosecond pulse. This measurement plays a crucial role in understanding the mechanism of laser coupling its energy to hot electrons and is hence important for laser-driven ion acceleration and the fast ignition approach to fusion.

Theoretical analysis on the forced ignition of a quiescent mixture by repetitive heating pulse

Recently, forced ignition by nanosecond-repetitive-pulsed-discharge (NRPD) has received great attention since it can greatly promote ignition. However, there is no theoretical analysis on ignition induced by multiple heating pulses such as NRPD. Therefore, this work attempts to provide a theoretical interpretation on the ignition of a quiescent, flammable mixture by multiple discharges and to assess the effects of repetitive pulse on ignition characteristics. Based on fully transient formulation, analytical expressions describing ignition kernel propagation induced by multiple pulses are derived. The key parameters of multiple pulse heating, such as energy distribution among individual pulse, intermittent duration between neighboring pulse and total pulse numbers are appropriately incorporated, and their effects on ignition characteristics are assessed. It is found that because of memory effect, the flame kernel continues to propagate after switching off the external heating source. Sequentially introducing identical heating pulses at appropriate intermittent duration repetitively exploits the memory effect during ignition kernel development and thus extends propagating distance of the flame front. The repetitive pulse heating can promote ignition capability due to the flame revitalization effect, i.e., ignition reinforcement to the flame front thanks to additional thermal energy supplied by subsequent pulse. This is consistent with the synergistic effect of NRPD observed in previous experimental studies. In particular, as the pulse number increases, the minimum ignition energy decreases and approaches to an asymptotic value. In the limit of large pulse number, it is found that the integration of the implicit expressions describing the ignition kernel evolution does not depend on the pulse number explicitly. This substantiates the invariance of minimum ignition energy with heating pulse number. The present theory explains the effects of multiple discharges on ignition and provides insights on ignition enhancement.

The progress of ultra-intensity laser and inertial confinement fusion

Contemporarily, the world is facing the problem of energy crisis, thus novel approach of energy production is needed to address the problem. Among various new energy scenarios, controlled nuclear fusion is an expected solution. This article will discuss the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) with the recent progress of the state-of-art ultra-intensity laser beams. ICF is a way of controlled nuclear fusion based on the ultra-intensity laser, which is originated in the mid 20 century after the born of nuclear weapons. In order to reach the ignition condition, ultra-intensity laser is compulsory. With this in mind, this paper discusses the principles and developments of ultra-intensity laser. Subsequently, the milestones and the state-of-art ICF facilities as well as ignition approaches are demonstrated accordingly. Afterwards, the current limitations and drawbacks as well as future outlooks are proposed. Overall, these results shed light on guiding further development of confinement fusion.

Development of an experimental platform for the investigation of laser-plasma interaction in conditions relevant to shock ignition regime.

The shock ignition (SI) approach to inertial confinement fusion is a promising scheme for achieving energy production by nuclear fusion. SI relies on using a high intensity laser pulse (≈1016 W/cm2, with a duration of several hundred ps) at the end of the fuel compression stage. However, during laser-plasma interaction (LPI), several parametric instabilities, such as stimulated Raman scattering and two plasmon decay, nonlinearly generate hot electrons (HEs). The whole behavior of HE under SI conditions, including their generation, transport, and final absorption, is still unclear and needs further experimental investigation. This paper focuses on the development of an experimental platform for SI-related experiments, which simultaneously makes use of multiple diagnostics to characterize LPI and HE generation, transport, and energy deposition. Such diagnostics include optical spectrometers, streaked optical shadowgraph, an x-ray pinhole camera, a two-dimensional x-ray imager, a Cu Kα line spectrometer, two hot-electron spectrometers, a hard x-ray (bremsstrahlung) detector, and a streaked optical pyrometer. Diagnostics successfully operated simultaneously in single-shot mode, revealing the features of HEs under SI-relevant conditions.

Estimation of carbon stock in seagrass communities in Central Tapanuli

This study aims to determine the carbon stock in seagrass communities in Central Tapanuli, North Sumatera, Indonesia. The research was conducted from July to August 2020 in the coastal areas of Hajoran and Jago Jago. The parameters measured in this study were density, coverage, biomass, carbon content, and carbon stock in seagrass. Biomass analysis and carbon measurement are divided into the top (above-ground biomass) and the bottom substrate (below-ground biomass). Carbon measurements are conducted using the loss on ignition (LOI) approach. The results showed that the seagrass ecosystem on the coast of Central Tapanuli Regency, which was covered by monospecies Enhalus acoroides, was in a less healthy condition with a cover percentage of 30.3-33.3% and a density of 59-67 shoots/m2. Above-ground and below-ground seagrass biomass reached 140.19-188.72 g/m2 and 368.13-423.69 g/m2 respectively, while carbon stock reached 70.57-94.86 g Corg/m2 and 18731-19603 g Corg/m2 and total standing stock range 257.87-290.90 g Corg/m2. The data obtained from this research can be used as a database to see the potential of seagrass beds as storage of CO2 and as an effort to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Self-focusing of a spatially modulated beam within the paraxial complex geometrical optics framework in low-density plasmas

Accurate modelling of ponderomotive laser self-focusing may represent a key for the success of inertial confinement fusion, especially within the shock ignition approach. From a numerical point of view, implementation of a paraxial complex geometrical optics (PCGO) method has improved the performance of the hydrodynamics code CHIC, but (1) overestimating ponderomotive speckle self-focusing in reduced two-dimensional geometry, and (2) not accounting for speckle intensity statistics. The first issue was addressed in our previous work (Ruocco et al 2019 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 61 115009). Based on those results, here we propose a novel PCGO scheme for modelling spatially modulated laser beams by (1) creating Gaussian speckles, and (2) emulating the realistic speckle intensity statistics. Self-focusing of spatially modulated beams in a homogeneous stationary plasma with this method is studied. This investigation evidences that plasma smoothing does not reduce the speckle intensity enhancement at long time scales when the average beam intensity is twice above the speckle critical intensity. Comparison against electromagnetic simulations confirms that this approach improves the description of self-focusing of high-intensity speckles within the PCGO model.

Experimental characterization of hot-electron emission and shock dynamics in the context of the shock ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion

We report on planar target experiments conducted on the OMEGA-EP laser facility performed in the context of the shock ignition (SI) approach to inertial confinement fusion. The experiment aimed at characterizing the propagation of strong shock in matter and the generation of hot electrons (HEs), with laser parameters relevant to SI (1-ns UV laser beams with I ∼1016 W/cm2). Time-resolved radiographs of the propagating shock front were performed in order to study the hydrodynamic evolution. The hot-electron source was characterized in terms of Maxwellian temperature, Th, and laser to hot-electron energy conversion efficiency η using data from different x-ray spectrometers. The post-processing of these data gives a range of the possible values for Th and η [i.e., Th[keV] ∈ (20, 50) and η ∈ (2%, 13%)]. These values are used as input in hydrodynamic simulations to reproduce the results obtained in radiographs, thus constraining the range for the HE measurements. According to this procedure, we found that the laser converts ∼10% ± 4% of energy into hot electrons with Th = 27 ± 8 keV. The paper shows how the coupling of different diagnostics and numerical tools is required to sufficiently constrain the problem, solving the large ambiguity coming from the post-processing of spectrometers data. The effect of the hot electrons on the shock dynamics is then discussed, showing an increase in the pressure around the shock front. The low temperature found in this experiment without pre-compression laser pulses could be advantageous for the SI scheme, but the high conversion efficiency may lead to an increase in the shell adiabat, with detrimental effects on the implosion.

Optimal design of shock ignition target in order to stop generated hot electrons within the cold fuel

AbstractGeneration of hot electrons (HEs) within ignitor pulse interaction with pre‐compressed fuel is an important challenge in the shock ignition approach. Target optimization in order to prevent the destructive effects of HE is the main goal of the present work. In the first stage, the spectrum of electron energy generated during the interaction of ignitor pulse at different widths with the HiPER pre‐compressed target has been estimated by applying particle simulation tool. Then, by changing the thickness of the cold fuel in the range of 185–225 μm, the corresponding areal densities are calculated using 1D hydrodynamic simulations. Finally, in order to assess the energy fusion yield, the iso‐gain curves are obtained for different ignitor time windows as well as target thicknesses. Simulation results indicate that by decreasing the baseline, target thickness leads to a 17–70% increase in the fuel areal density. Subsequently, it has been demonstrated that by properly adjusting the parameters of ignitor pulse launch time and its width and employing a target with areal density high enough to stop the HEs, energy gain above 140 can be achieved. Optimal areas for shell thickness and ignitor time window are identified.

Assessment of Turbulent Combustion Models for Simulating Prechamber Ignition in a Natural Gas Engine

Abstract Lean combustion is a promising strategy to increase thermal efficiency in an internal combustion engine, by exploiting a favorable specific heat ratio of the fresh mixture while simultaneously suppressing the heat losses to the cylinder wall. However, unstable ignition and slow flame propagation at fuel-lean conditions lead to large cycle-to-cycle variability and limit the high-efficiency engine operating range. Prechamber ignition is considered an effective concept to extend the lean operating limit, by providing spatially distributed ignition with multiple turbulent flame-jets and enabling a faster combustion rate compared to the conventional spark ignition approach. From a numerical modeling standpoint to date science base and available simulation tools are inadequate to properly understand and predict the combustion processes in prechamber ignited engines. In this paper, conceptually different Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) combustion models widely adopted in the engine modeling community are used to simulate the ignition and combustion processes in a medium-duty natural gas engine with a prechamber spark-ignition system. A flamelet-based turbulent combustion model, i.e., G-equation, and a multizone well-stirred reactor model are employed for this modeling study. Simulation results are compared with experimental data in terms of in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate. Finally, the analysis of the performance of the two models is carried out to highlight the strengths and limitations of the two evaluated approaches.