U.S. patent application number 16/352523 was filed with the patent office on 2019-07-11 for single-pass, heavy ion systems for large-scale neutron source applications.
The applicant listed for this patent is Arcata Systems. Invention is credited to Alexander Thomas Burke, Robert J. Burke.
Application Number | 20190214154 16/352523 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47361859 |
Filed Date | 2019-07-11 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190214154 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Burke; Robert J. ; et
al. |
July 11, 2019 |
SINGLE-PASS, HEAVY ION SYSTEMS FOR LARGE-SCALE NEUTRON SOURCE
APPLICATIONS
Abstract
A single-pass heavy-ion fusion system for power production from
fusion reactions alone, power production that uses additional
energy of fission reactions obtained by driving a sub-critical
fission pile with the neutrons from fusion reactions, destroying
high-level and/or long-lived radioactive waste by intense
bombardment with fusion neutrons, or for the production of neutron
beams for various applications includes a new arrangement of
current multiplying processes that employs a multiplicity of
isotopes to achieve the desired effect of distributing the task of
amplifying the current among all the various processes, to relieve
stress on any one process, and to increase the design margin for
assured ICF (inertial confinement fusion) ignition for applications
including but not restricted to the above list. The energy content
and power of the ignition-driver pulses are greatly increased, thus
increasing intensity of target heating and rendering reliable
ignition readily attainable.
Inventors: |
Burke; Robert J.; (Santa
Cruz, CA) ; Burke; Alexander Thomas; (Palo Alto,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Arcata Systems |
Santa Cruz |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47361859 |
Appl. No.: |
16/352523 |
Filed: |
March 13, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15081768 |
Mar 25, 2016 |
10283222 |
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16352523 |
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13482922 |
May 29, 2012 |
9299461 |
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15081768 |
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12484004 |
Jun 12, 2009 |
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13482922 |
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61061593 |
Jun 13, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02E 30/16 20130101;
Y02E 30/14 20130101; G21B 1/01 20130101; G21B 1/15 20130101; G21B
1/05 20130101; G21B 1/23 20130101; H05H 1/22 20130101; G21B 1/03
20130101; Y02E 30/10 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G21B 1/03 20060101
G21B001/03; G21B 1/23 20060101 G21B001/23; G21B 1/05 20060101
G21B001/05; G21B 1/15 20060101 G21B001/15; H05H 1/22 20060101
H05H001/22; G21B 1/01 20060101 G21B001/01 |
Claims
1. A power system, comprising: a particle accelerator system
comprising: a source assembly for emitting a stream of isotopic
slugs, each slug comprising a train of microbunches; at least one
RF (radio frequency) accelerator section for receiving said slug
stream and focusing, accelerating, and funneling said slug stream
until a plurality of high-current, parallel slug trains emerges; a
telescoper for receiving said plurality of high-current parallel
slug trains and emitting different isotopic species into a single
common-rigidity beamline so that said species arrive at a target in
a specified sequence; at least one snugger for receiving said
common-rigidity beamline and snugging slugs within said
common-rigidity beamline until they drift to points at prescribed
distances from at least one target in at least one reaction
chamber; a delay line for rearranging beam slugs to collect small
individual spaces between slugs and sort slugs into parallel
beamlines to produce a smaller momentum spread at focusing on the
target; a delay line for eliminating at least a portion of a
distance between centers of successive slugs; a controller for
controlling arrival of said slugs at targets in specified reaction
chambers according to a specified schedule; at least one slicker
for imparting specified velocity differentials into microbunches of
said slugs at specified distances upstream from each of said
reaction chambers; a wobbler for swirling a beam spot rapidly
around a target to heat an annular region of the target with smooth
energy deposition density in said target; and at least one set of
final focusing lenses for focusing said beam on said target; a
reaction vessel, comprising within said reaction vessel, a lithium
body for receiving at least one fuel pellet therein, said lithium
body defining at least one channel for delivering at least one
energy pulse to said fuel pellet; a system for delivering liquid
lithium to an interior of said reaction vessel in at least one of
the forms of: jets and sprays to diminish blast forces and provide
neutron shielding; as sheets that rupture immediately after each
fusion pulse but reform in to act as curtains that reduce backflow
of the low pressure gases released by each fusion pulse; and as
thick layers flowing along the inner chamber surface in a helical
path toward the ends of the cylindrical chamber; and a controller
for regulating flows of said liquid lithium; a plurality of
entrance ports penetrating said reaction chamber; and a plurality
of beamlines for delivering pulses of heavy-ion beams to said
reaction chamber from said driver, wherein said plurality of beams
enters said reaction chamber through said plurality of entrance
ports and contacts said fuel pellet through said at least one
channel; at least one power plant coupled to said at least one
reaction chamber by means of a heat exchanger system, wherein
energy generated in said reaction chamber is transferred to said
power plant through said heat exchanger system for conversion to
other forms of energy; and a system for direct conversion of energy
that results from raising the lithium to a plasma state, said
system for direct conversion of energy including: components for
magnetic piston direct conversion coupling to pick-up electrodes
integrated into said reaction chamber inside a vacuum wall;
transmission lines to conduct electricity thus picked up as pulses;
and a supply for a magnetic field supplied by magnets outside the
vacuum wall.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said heavy-ion beams comprise
eight heavy-ion beams total, with four heavy-ion beams being
delivered to each of two entrance ports.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein a pulse comprises one of: a
compression pulse; and a fast ignition pulse.
4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: an ion source
manifold for enclosing said ion source assembly until an
inter-microbunch spacing and inter-slug spacing prescribed for each
isotopic slug is reached; a delay line that eliminates at least a
portion of a distance between centers of successive slugs; said
slugs drifting to points at prescribed distances from at least one
target in at least one reaction chamber; a central controller and
timing actuators in the ion sources and RF power systems for
controlling arrival of said slugs at fuel targets in specified
reaction chambers according to a specified schedule; at least one
slicker for imparting specified velocity differentials into
microbunches of said slugs at specified distances upstream from
each of said reaction chambers; a wobbler for swirling a beam spot
rapidly around a fuel target for purposes of smooth energy
deposition density in said fuel target; and at least one final
focusing lens for focusing said beam on a fuel target; a plurality
of beamlines for delivering pulses of heavy-ion beams to said
reaction chamber from said driver, wherein said plurality of beams
enters said reaction chamber through a plurality of entrance ports
and contacts said fuel pellet through said at least one channel; a
sub-critical configuration for enclosing a large-fraction of the
reaction chamber with fission materials and means for removing heat
generated in said sub-critical fission pile; a direct conversion
generator for coupling at least one electrical generator using
direct conversion of thermal to electric energy from ultra-high
temperature thermodynamic working fluids, said direct conversion
generator comprising units using either or both non-contacting and
contacting energy conversion means; a heat exchanger system for
coupling at least one power plant to said at least one reaction
chamber; said heat exchanger system transferring energy generated
in said reaction chamber to said power plant; and means for
converting said transferred energy to other forms of energy.
5. A method of producing neutrons from reactions for production of
quantities of desirable isotopic materials sand generation of
neutron beams for research and medical applications, comprising:
emitting a stream of isotopic slugs in parallel channels from a
manifold holding multiple ion sources, each ion source in said
manifold producing one of a series of distinct isotopes, the ion
source for each slug being timed so that the slugs of said stream
penetrate a plane perpendicular to their paths in a programmed time
sequence; coordinated groups of parallel slugs entering a high
voltage direct current accelerating column comprising a plurality
of electrodes, each provided with an individual aperture for each
isotopic slug, the plurality of apertures having the same hole
pattern as the manifold source; each coordinated group of parallel
slugs entering a radio frequency (RF) linear accelerator having a
first section of RF accelerator converting constant current slug
pulses into slug pulses comprising microbunches, said microbunches
passing a point at the RF frequency; each coordinated group of
parallel slugs of microbunches entering a second RF linear
accelerator section, electrode surfaces of said second RF
accelerator section providing individual channels for each of said
isotopic slugs; receiving each coordinated group of parallel slugs
into a manifold of magnetic beamlines, said beamlines routing each
of the individual slugs to one of a series of magnetic switches on
a common centerline, switching the sequence of parallel beams into
one collinear train of slugs having a programmed sequence of
spaces; receiving said slug stream in further sections of RF
accelerator and focusing, accelerating, and funneling said slug
streams from a multiplicity of parallel manifold sources, wherein a
total number of said streams from multiple manifold sources is
decreased until a predetermined plurality of high-current, parallel
slug trains emerges; by means of a telescoper, receiving said
plurality of high-current parallel slug trains and accelerating
isotopic slugs by a multiplicity of energy gains, the energy gain
of each slug bringing that slug to a magnetic rigidity that is
equal for all isotopic species; switching each set of parallel
slugs out of the telescoper at the points where they respectively
reach the equal magnetic rigidity; routing each equal rigidity slug
into a common beamline with magnetic switches, and emitting a train
of slugs having programmed sequencing in time, and emitting trains
of slugs in parallel beams, onto remaining processes, so that said
different isotopic species within the trains of slugs arrive at a
target in a specified sequence; by means of a merger, receiving
said plurality of high-current parallel slug trains, into a
plurality of magnetic beamlines that route the slug trains to a
plurality of magnetic switches, the combination of said magnetic
switches injecting the plurality of high-current parallel slug
trains in RF-synchronized simultaneity into a common centerline;
wherein injection into the common beamline uses equally planes of
two transverse phase spaces, with magnetic transport that minimizes
inessential growth in the total phase space occupied by the merged
beams; receiving said common-rigidity beamline in at least one
snugger and snugging the microbunches in individual slugs within an
RF snugging accelerator section and lengths of said common-rigidity
beamline, the frequency of said RF snugging accelerating section
controlled to provide differential speeds to the microbunches
within a slug so that the microbunches snug and the slugs contract
in the beam direction until they reach an inter-microbunch spacing
prescribed for each isotopic slug; receiving said trains of slugs
with said spacing in at least one RF snug stopper, removing the
inter-bunch speed differentials by the RF snug stopper, wherein
frequency and amplitude of said RF snug stopper accelerating
sections are controlled to reduce the speed differentials between
microbunches within a slug in an orderly manner to minimize
inessential growth in the volume occupied in a 6-d phase space so
that microbunch snugging and slug contracting progressively
decrease until they reach an inter-microbunch spacing and
inter-slug spacing prescribed for each isotopic slug; eliminating
at least a portion of a distance between centers of successive
slugs by means of a delay line; said slugs drifting to points at
prescribed distances from at least one target in at least one
reaction chamber; controlling arrival of said slugs at fuel targets
in specified reaction chambers according to a specified schedule by
means of a central controller and timing actuators in the ion
sources and RF power systems; imparting specified velocity
differentials into microbunches of said slugs at specified
distances upstream from each of said reaction chambers by means of
at least one slicker; swirling a beam spot rapidly around a fusion
fuel target, for purposes of smooth energy deposition density in
said fuel target using a wobbler; and focusing said beam on a fuel
target by means of at least one final focusing lens; delivering
pulses of heavy-ion beams to said reaction chamber from said driver
by means of a plurality of beamlines, wherein said plurality of
beams enters said reaction chamber through a plurality of entrance
ports and contacts said fuel pellet through said at least one
channel; enclosing suitable portions of the reaction chamber with
materials to be transmuted to quantities of desirable isotopes, and
providing means to remove the heat generated in said materials and
their transmutation products; and providing collimators to form the
flux of neutrons into channels for conduction to target areas for
research, small-scale material transmutation operations, and
medical applications.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 15/081,768, filed Mar. 25, 2016, which is a Continuation
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/482,922, filed May 29, 2012,
now U.S. Pat. No. 9,299,461, issued Mar. 29, 2016, which is a
Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/484,004, filed Jun. 12, 2009, now abandoned, each of which are
incorporated herein in their entirety this reference thereto.
[0002] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/484,004 claims the
benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/061,593,
filed Jun. 13, 2008, the entirety of which is also incorporated
herein by this reference thereto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0003] In a general sense, the invention is related to systems
achieving nuclear fusion reactions at large-scale for economical
generation of power by fusion reactions only, generation of power
by driving sub-critical fission piles with neutrons from fusion
reactions, and production of neutrons for other applications
including but not limited to pulsed neutron beams for research,
medical applications, etc. In addition, the techniques for
generating ion beams needed to ignite fusion may be used together
or singly to increase the intensity of ion beams for various
applications.
Background Information
[0004] The heavy ion driver defined in 1975-1976 by R. L. Martin
and A. W. Maschke used the known abilities of high-energy RF
(radiofrequency) accelerator systems to store megaJoule quantities
of ion beam energy and to focus this stored energy on very small
spots. They saw that the short stopping distance of beam nuclei
with high atomic number (Z) at approximately one-half the speed of
light meant being able to create the energy density in small
targets containing fusion fuel that is needed to ignite small
clean-fusion explosions. And they showed that the continuous stored
beams could be rearranged into multiple bunches, compressed in
length, and delivered to the targets in short duration pulses as
required by the dynamics of the fusion ignition and burn
processes.
[0005] Beams of protons can be accumulated--and stored--over a long
period of time, as the protons resist processes that cause them to
wander from their controlled paths, such as knock-on or multiple
scattering, and have low probability of changing their charge to O
(neutral) or negative (H-). On the other hand, the probability of
the charge state of a heavy ion changing by collision with an atom
remaining even in a very high vacuum requires ignition pulses be
generated in a fraction of a second. This is consistent with the
need for an ICF (inertial confinement fusion) power plant reactor
to pulse frequently, and pulsing many times per second is routine
for accelerator systems. However, the need to generate an ignition
pulse within a limited time places a constraint on the accelerator
technology that eliminates slow pulsing machines like
synchrotrons.
[0006] Thus, at the inception of heavy ion fusion (HIF), a few
principles were established: [0007] GeVs of energy in each ion
provided means to generate beam pulses to ignite ICF burn with:
much more total beam energy than competing technologies, the tight
focusing required by the dimensions of fusion fuel pellets, the
beam power required for ignition with beam currents obtainable with
confirmed processes; [0008] Rearrangement of the total beam for an
ignitor pulse into the short time duration required for the fuel
compression and ignition processes is the technical issue; [0009]
The question for economics is the cost of large particle
accelerators, which does not fit conventional ideas of electric
power generation or the motivations for research neutron sources;
[0010] One accelerator has the ability to produce many times the
output of a conventional power plant, which results in low cost per
unit of energy; [0011] Favorable economics is obtained by
capitalizing on this by using the high-grade heat at high
temperatures to produce hydrogen and synthesize liquid fuels and
lower the cost of other energy-intensive industries such as steel
and aluminum; [0012] These economics apply to using the neutrons
from the fusion reactions to drive fission reactions in
sub-critical fission piles, and [0013] Portions of the neutrons
from the fusion and/or fission reactions can be provided for
research, production of isotopes for applications in medicine and
other purposes.
Current Amplification Processes Used to Generate Heavy Ion Fusion
Ignition Pulses
[0014] Accelerating heavy ions solved the problem of depositing the
megaJoules of beam energy in small targets containing fusion fuel.
The beam energy also must be delivered to the fuel targets in
pulses with the short durations, e.g., of the order of 10
nanoseconds, consistent with the timescale of igniting small fusion
explosions by rapidly compressing and heating to ignition so that
fusion burn is effected before the compressed and heated fuel is
able to fly apart. Using processes verifiable by the same
analytical tools at the root of the design of all successful
accelerators, Martin, Maschke, and others defined examples of
systems to reconfigure the beams and deliver them to the target on
this time scale.
[0015] The physics of particle beams employs mathematical methods
that characterize the motion of the particles that make up a beam,
"a collection of particles confined in space", in the terms of
statistical physics. Pertinent to the present matter is the concept
of beam emittance, a property that is conserved and thus a
"constant of the motion", reference being to the progress of the
beam through the accelerator and beam transport system. The
emittance of a beam determines the diameter of the focal spot, to
the 0.sup.th order, i.e., before accounting for such spot-size
increasing effects as aberrations. By the statistical physics, the
physical beams obey theorems holding that the emittance of a beam
of identical particles cannot be decreased by any conservative,
i.e., reversible, operation on them through external forces. That
is, the emittance when a beam is born is the best (lowest) it can
be. The emittance can and does grow in real machines, the design of
which takes care to minimize the causes of such deleterious
effects.
[0016] In slightly more general terms, the 6-dimensional phase
space of a beam is conserved. The six dimensions are the positions
of the particles in the three conventional physical dimensions and
the particles' relative momentum components. Planes are defined in
the phase space with the position and momentum components for
coordinates, with time used in the place of the position coordinate
in the direction of the beam's motion. The area occupied by the
beam particles in each of these planes is the beam's emittance in
that plane.
[0017] The physics teaches that the sums of the emittances in the
three planes remains constant, under the action of purely
conservative external forces, and some of the area of the emittance
in one plane may be traded to one of the others, or shared with
both.
[0018] "Ballistic" focusing of charged particle beams is analogous
to focusing beams of light: the spot size depends on the emittance,
of the particle's paths coming into the electromagnetic lens,
aberrations from beam parameters (such as the momentum spread)
inherent in the ideal optics, and imperfections in the magnetic
fields of the lens. For example, the effect of focusing a particle
beam that has a range of momentum per particle is similar to the
"chromatic" aberration of focusing light with a variety of
wavelengths (or photon energies, or "colors"), shown visibly in the
spectrum from a prism, and the term chromatic aberration also is
used in "particle beam optics".
[0019] The term "brightness" characterizes the intensity of the
number of beam particles contained in the beam's 6-dimensional
phase space. As the phase space volume occupied by the beam
particles cannot shrink, the beam brightness cannot be increased by
conservative forces, during the "motion". The brightness can and
does decrease in real machines as a result of any loss of beam
particles in addition to distortions of the beam that increase its
effective emittance.
[0020] Ignition of inertially confined fusion reactions requires a
beam that is extremely powerful, contains a substantial quantity of
kinetic energy to be deposited in the target to generate the high
pressure required to drive the fuel to densities a hundred times
the fuel's normal solid density. The ability to provide the
unimprovable beam brightness at the source and preserve enough of
it during subsequent acceleration and beam manipulations to meet
the demands of compressing the fuel (a.k.a. implosion) is the
bedrock of heavy ion fusion driver technology.
[0021] The goal of the design of HIF drivers is to manipulate the
beams so that the relatively low beam current at beam inception, at
the source, which is limited by the electro-magneto dynamics of the
particles whose like electrical charge creates mutually repulsion
forces tending to enlarge the beam in physical space. Expert
evaluation of the first HIF system concepts to be proposed
confirmed the judgment that HIF driver systems could be built and
operated to deposit energy in the required target volume and mass
and in the short allowable time to achieve ignition.
[0022] This judgment, however, assumed an adequate concentration of
expert effort would be applied to arrive at designs that would
accomplish the mission. Resources adequate for this effort have not
be provided, and the most vital HIF efforts continue the struggle
via dual-purpose application of resources provided to continue the
advance of particle accelerator systems for research. This has
placed the development of the capable HIF drivers at risk of
overlooking machine design approaches that necessitate
concentration on only beams comprised of heavy ions in a low charge
state (lightly ionized), preferably with q=1, where q is the number
of electrons removed from the neutral atoms. This kind of
concentration has yielded the novel features of the single pass RF
driver concept.
[0023] A review of the existing state of the art will preface
description of the SPRFD's new features. A shorthand means to
summarize the net effect of the several individual current
amplification processes proposed during the intense vetting of HIF
"point" designs in 1975-80, was the following equation:
I.sub.target=I.sub.source.times.N.sub.sources.times.N.sub.injection.time-
s.N.sub.compression.times.N.sub.beams.sub._.sub.on.sub._.sub.target.
(1)
[0024] The total beam power on the target is the product of the
total current of particles (the same as the electric current for
q=1, etc.) and the kinetic energy per particle. Ignitor pulse power
of ca. 1 PW (1 petaWatt is 1 billion megaWatts) is needed for
ignition. This can be provided, for example, by some number of
beams of 20 GeV ions with an aggregate current of 50 kA
(kiloAmperes). Early HIF driver concepts using mainstream RF
accelerator technology were judged capable of meeting the
requirements promulgated by leading implosion experts. A
problematic factor related to the use of storage rings (which
contribute the factor N.sub.injection in Equation 1.) is described
below. This problematic situation is resolved in the SPRFD by the
absence of storage rings, also as described below.
[0025] Another means of amplifying the eventual current (introduced
in 1978 by Burke) accelerates ions of multiple isotopes. This
method effectively multiplies the 6-dimensional phase space
available to the designer, since each isotope is a different
particle species, and thus not subject to the constraint of
Liouville's theorem. The advantageous effect of multiple isotopes
is that a given set of parameters for energy deposition in the
fusion target can be accomplished with 1. a set of beams that are
each comprised of a different isotope (which are different species
(kinds) of particles whether these are isotopes of the same atomic
element, e.g., xenon, or different atomic elements, e.g., xenon and
lead), to allow each isotopic beam to have lower brightness than
would be required if the energy deposition requirements were to be
met by a number (the factor N.sub.beams in Equation 1.) of beams
all comprised of the same particle species. The motivation for the
multiple isotope technique was to gain design margin by raising the
capabilities of the beam, to drive implosion of fusion fuel
"pellets", beyond the marginal implosion abilities that were the
targets of the early designs. In the arena of the energy supply
industry where capital costs are large, reducing risks of
unacceptable performance is mandatory at the conceptual level. The
power of multiple beams may be regarded as relieving pressure on
other techniques for beam amplification/compression/compaction.
However, the potential ways to use this additional design factor to
best advantage were not aggressively explored, and only formally
adopted in the internationally vetted "point" design called Heavy
Ion Driven Inertial Fusion (HIDIF) in 1995-97.
[0026] The means of compacting beams that have been devised to meet
the ignition requirements for inertial confinement fusion also may
be used singly or in various combinations to increase the intensity
of ion beams for beneficial applications.
[0027] Power production using only fusion reactions can be shown to
be the most desirable of any baseload energy source, using
inclusive metrics including abundance, safety, environmental
impact, and cost. It is widely recognized, however, that a
shortfall in fusion energy produced from a given amount of energy
used to drive the reactions may be compensated by causing the
neutrons produced in the fusion reactions to induce fission
reactions in a suitable mass of fissionable fuel. This construct is
called the fusion-fission hybrid. This construct has potential
advantages including the safety aspect in that the fission pile
would be sub-critical, since the need to emit slightly more than
one neutron per fission reaction is not needed. This feature plus
the high energy of the fusion neutrons and their high fluxes
enables this construct to be devised to destroy high level
radioactive waste in the process of generating power. If desired,
in a limiting case of this application, a HIF hybrid system could
be totally dedicated to destroying radioactive waste.
[0028] To use neutrons from fusion reactions for applications such
as research and production of special isotopes, beams of neutrons
in collimation channels provided for the purpose may be directed
into moderators to achieve the neutron spectra desired for these
applications. The beams also may be directed into a neutron
multiplying material or a sub-critical mass of fission material to:
1. Increase the total number of neutrons available that that point
for the intended applications, 2. Exchange lower energy neutrons
for the high energy fusion neutrons, and 3. Be integrated with the
moderator as previously said.
SUMMARY
[0029] A single-pass heavy-ion fusion system for power production
from fusion reactions alone, power production that uses additional
energy of fission reactions obtained by driving a sub-critical
fission pile with the neutrons from fusion reactions, destroying
high-level and/or long-lived radioactive waste by intense
bombardment with fusion neutrons, or for the production of neutron
beams for various applications includes a new arrangement of
current multiplying processes that employs a multiplicity of
isotopes to achieve the desired effect of distributing the task of
amplifying the current among all the various processes, to relieve
stress on any one process, and to increase the design margin for
assured ICF (inertial confinement fusion) ignition for applications
including but not restricted to the above list. The energy content
and power of the ignition-driver pulses are greatly increased, thus
increasing intensity of target heating and rendering reliable
ignition readily attainable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] FIG. 1 provides a diagram of a single-pass HIF driver and a
HIF system for power production and/or neutron source
applications;
[0031] FIG. 2 provides an illustration of a chamber and protection
of the chamber from neutrons by lithium sabots and liquid lithium
sprays;
[0032] FIG. 3 provides an Illustration of a lithium sabot
configured to cause expansion in preferred directions, such as
along the axis of a cylindrical containment vessel;
[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates protection of a spherical reaction
chamber from neutrons by lithium streams;
[0034] FIG. 5 provides an illustration of a reaction chamber
environment at an early stage of lithium plasma expansion
approximately one millisecond after the fusion energy release;
[0035] FIG. 6 shows a schematic arrangement for an energy
conversion to electricity by a non-contacting, topping-cycle:
[0036] FIG. 7 provides a diagram of Pulsed direct energy conversion
involving transmission, handling, and processing technology for
timescales of approximately 10 microseconds;
[0037] FIG. 8 shows a reaction chamber with lithium restored to
receive a fusion energy release, with vacuum restored to allow
propagation of a heavy-ion ignitor pulse;
[0038] FIG. 9 provides an illustration of a cylindrical containment
vessel and primary ancillary elements, principally primary heat
exchangers, fuel injector, and vacuum pumping for exhaust of
reaction products and the fraction of the fuel that remains
unreacted;
[0039] FIG. 10 provides a block diagram of a Heavy-ion Driver;
[0040] FIG. 11 provides a diagram of source, HVDC, and beam
structure;
[0041] FIG. 12 provides a diagram of pulse structure from isotopic
sources and an HVDC preaccelerator;
[0042] FIG. 13 provides a diagram of pulse structure in an RF
accelerator FIG. 14 illustrates a current amplification method by
funneling microbunches;
[0043] FIG. 15 provides an Illustration of beam temporal structure
in a section of the linear accelerator that includes interleaving
microbunches at a frequency doubling;
[0044] FIG. 16 provides a diagram of an RF beam wobbler
[0045] FIG. 17 provides a diagram of a cylindrical target;
[0046] FIG. 18 provides a diagram illustrating target irradiation
by a rotating ion beam;
[0047] FIG. 19 provides a diagram depicting fast ignition using
heavy ions;
[0048] FIG. 20 provides a diagram illustrating heating of cylinder
end caps with shorter-range ions to counteract internal
pressure;
[0049] FIG. 21 provides a diagram illustrating cylinder end cap
implosion;
[0050] FIG. 22 provides a diagram illustrating burn-though by
shorter-range ions;
[0051] FIG. 23 provides a diagram illustrating microbunches
differentially accelerated by offset RF frequency;
[0052] FIG. 24 provides a diagram illustrating snugging and
snug-stopping;
[0053] FIG. 25 provides a diagram illustrating differential
acceleration by offset RF frequency;
[0054] FIG. 26 provides an illustration of increasing gap between
slugs by snugging;
[0055] FIG. 27 illustrates lengths and spacings of slugs using
three species for illustration;
[0056] FIG. 28 provides an illustration of a helical delay
line;
[0057] FIG. 29 provides a diagram of microbunch motion downstream
from a slicker;
[0058] FIG. 30 provides an illustration of potential minimum slug
duration by slicking;
[0059] FIG. 31 provides an illustration of slicking that indicates
relative contributions to the overall momentum spread from
microbunch phase space and slick kicks;
[0060] FIG. 32 provides an illustration showing the extensive
thinning of the longitudinal phase space ellipses that results in
an optimal slick effect; and
[0061] FIG. 33 provides an illustration of the last sections of the
beam line, which shows: a. Culmination of the telescoping of
multiple isotopic species slugs, b. Culmination of the slicking of
microbunches within slugs, and c. The ample timescales at the
wobbler to allow modulation of the wobbler RF fields to realize: i.
Beneficial target illumination symmetries and patterns, and ii.
Adequate RF field rise time compared to a time gap between slugs
having a large difference in speed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0062] A single-pass heavy-ion fusion system for power production
from fusion reactions alone, power production that uses additional
energy of fission reactions obtained by driving a sub-critical
fission pile with the neutrons from fusion reactions, destroying
high-level and/or long-lived radioactive waste by intense
bombardment with fusion neutrons, or for the production of neutron
beams for various applications includes a new arrangement of
current multiplying processes that employs a multiplicity of
isotopes to achieve the desired effect of distributing the task of
amplifying the current among all the various processes, to relieve
stress on any one process, and to increase the design margin for
assured ICF (inertial confinement fusion) ignition for applications
including but not restricted to the above list. The energy content
and power of the ignition-driver pulses are greatly increased, thus
increasing intensity of target heating and rendering reliable
ignition readily attainable. The present design does not use
storage rings, thus eliminating issues that previously were judged
by the community of experts to be problematic. Elimination of
storage rings in turn eliminates the emittance growth that attends
multi-turn injection of the beam into a storage ring. This results
in the beam emittance being 1/10 or less at the fusion target than
beams in HIF driver configurations that use storage rings. This new
low emittance makes it feasible to focus the beam to a beam
spot-on-target radius of ca. 50 .mu.m, which in turn makes the
concept of "fast ignition" feasible, and gains the powerful
advantages of fast ignition for high-gain from fusion pellet
ignition. Further innovations are to give the Heavy-ion Driver
flexibility to drive multiple chambers in the most general case of
different total distances between the linac output and each of the
various chambers. Using multiple chambers steeply decreases the
pro-rata capital investment and operating costs per power
production unit, in turn decreasing the cost of power or neutrons
to users. The innovative means to increase the peak beam current
also may be used singly or in various combinations for applications
where beam current higher than otherwise obtainable is desired.
Lexicon of Novel and Key Terms
[0063] New terms are coined where indicated to facilitate
description by removing the ambiguity that is unavoidable as a
result of using existing terms for new purposes. In particular,
"beam compression", "beam compaction", and the like apply to the
whole beam generation process and to each of the steps that
contributes to the process. Where new terminology is used, the
convention will be to capitalize the terms. In addition to the
novel terminology, the following lexicon includes some conventional
terms to clarify possibly subtle meanings and as a convenience for
the reader.
[0064] Beamline: A beamline comprises an arrangement of magnets
that guide the beam down a vacuum tube, tube included. Several
supporting things are implicit: instruments to measure the beam
properties without degrading them; vacuum pumping; power supplies;
associated controls; etc.
[0065] LEBT: This stands for sections of beamline for low energy
beam transport. The HIF (heavy ion fusion) Power project predicates
industrialization in which operating ranges are tightly fit around
design nominal values, in contrast to maintaining the flexibility
of multi-purpose research accelerators, which employ tunable low
energy transport to match the beamline's transmission properties to
beams of a variety of different beams, using source technology that
is periodically changed to support evolution of the research
mission, etc. HIF power performs the task of transporting the beams
at low energy, but integrates the acceleration stages for
compactness, improved reliability through fewer parts, and some
cost avoidance.
[0066] Master timing: Two parts: 1. An absolute time reference to
coordinate Driver functions with Fusion Power Chamber functions and
2. Top-level coordination of Driver functions internally. Master
Timing 1 is initiated by signaling from the fuel injection system,
because the accelerator response time is on a much finer scale than
that for the schedule of way-points for fuel injection. Master
Timing 2 is coordinated by harmonic relationships between the
individual RF systems that perform individual functions in the beam
generation process.
[0067] Compression or Compaction (relating to beam): In common with
all ICF drivers, the goal of the processes used to generate
ignition pulses is to concentrate/compress/compact MJs of
"wallplug" energy in the driver's delivery vehicle to be deposited
in cubic millimeters of target material in nanoseconds.
[0068] Compression (relating to fusion fuel): The definition of
compression is the ratio of the fuel density at the onset of fusion
to the fuel density before compression. Compression is a critical
challenge for driver technologies, and classified for decades.
Compression is key to the criterion of propagating burn, which is
the means to achieve a high ratio of energy out to energy in. The
primary mechanism for propagating burn is re-deposition of the
energy carried by the helium nuclei that is one product of D-T
fusion. This gives the range of the helium nuclei in the fuel
around its point of origination as a key parameter for the onset of
propagating burn. Stopping the helium ions and comprehensive
theoretical and simulation treatments, plus weapons technology and
ICF research have established a parameter involving the
characteristic dimension of the heated zone and the density of the
fuel within that zone.
Density.times.Length=rhoR=0.2-0.5 gm/cm{circumflex over ( )}2
[0069] The length parameter decreases as density increases. For
spherical geometry (similar for cylindrical), the mass that must
first be heated to ignition if propagating burn is to start is:
Mass=Volume.times.Density=(4/3).pi.R{circumflex over ( )}3rho
[0070] The parameter has key implications, most centrally the
required degree of fuel compression.
[0071] In terms of the propagating burn parameter, the mass is:
R{circumflex over ( )}3rho=(rhoR){circumflex over (
)}3/rho{circumflex over ( )}2
Thus,
Mass=Constantrho{circumflex over ( )}2.
[0072] In terms of the characteristic dimension, of interest
relative to technological capabilities for expediting propagating
burn:
R{circumflex over ( )}3rho=R{circumflex over ( )}2(rho*R)
Thus,
Mass=Constant/R{circumflex over ( )}2.
[0073] The energy that must be deposited to raise the burning fuel
is .about.kT times the number of particles in the plasma fuel, in
standard fashion. To reduce the amount of fuel that must be
ignited, to bootstrap surrounding fuel into propagating burn,
increasing the density is the mechanism.
[0074] From these relationships, a critical advantage accrues for
heavy ions to accomplish Fast Ignition with Telescoping Beams. For
instance, the Isotopic Species for the Fast Ignition Pulse may be
selected to heat a tailored mass of pre-compressed fuel.
[0075] Microbunch: The beam in a radio-frequency accelerator is
composed of packets of beam particles (ions, electrons, or other
charged particles). Each RF cycle of the accelerator provides the
same acceleration to each microbunch. The present term is used
interchangeably herein with the term "micropulse".
[0076] Macropulse: A train of microbunches.
[0077] Isotope, Isotopic Species: Ions that have identical
nuclei.
[0078] Ion Species: An Isotopic Species that may be identified
further by the charge state of the ions.
[0079] Ion Source Hotel: An integrated cluster of ion sources
including one for each Species, and for the Species of both the
Compression Pulse and the Fast Ignition Pulse (if employed).
[0080] HVDC preaccelerator: Acceleration to high energy is by RF
processes. Before RF processes can be applied, however, the speed
of the beam must be raised to a value that corresponds to the
synchronous speed required for a practical RF accelerator
structure. Critical characteristics that are imprinted on the beam
at its origin are strongly dependent on the voltage of the
preaccelerator.
[0081] Marquee RF Linac: The Marquee Linac facilitates acceleration
of the space-charge dominated low velocity beam by omitting bending
of the beams at the lowest velocity where beamline magnetic
guidance and focusing fields are least effective. The Marquee linac
structure has an array of parallel bore tubes. Each tube in the
Marquee carries only one Isotopic Species of beam. The bore tube
array of the Marquee Linac matches the bore hole pattern of the
Source Hotel and the accelerating column in the HVDC
preaccelerator. The beams of specified Isotopic Species in the
array of bore tubes move in a programmed temporal sequence. The
beams in temporal sequence that are in parallel beam tubes in the
Marquee are fed into a single beam tube (one per Marquee) for
following beam pulse generation processes.
[0082] Telescoping: A process that accelerates a variety of
different isotopes in individual macropulses in a sequence timed to
cause the various isotopic macropulses to telescope into each other
in order to arrive at the fusion target simultaneously or with a
programmed sequence of arrival times that achieves a desired
ignition pulse power profile. Beams of different Isotopic Species
propagate in a common beamline, with static magnetic steering and
focusing, as a result of accelerating different Isotopic Species to
correspondingly different energies such that all isotopes have the
same magnetic rigidity, a function of ion mass, speed, and charge
state. Telescoping at the fuel target is the payoff for
accelerating a multiplicity of Isotopic Species, which multiplies
the six-dimensional phase space available to the designer.
[0083] Telescoper: The last section of the linear accelerator has
provisions to emit different Isotopic Species with a common
magnetic rigidity. This causes the Slugs of various Isotopic
Species with different masses to have the different speeds as
needed to arrive at the fusion target a specified sequence. The
control program for the Telescoper's RF waveform adjusts the time
gaps between Slugs in each Ignition Pulse so that the various Slugs
arrive according to a specified schedule at the fusion fuel targets
in Multiple Chambers at various distances from the Telescoper.
[0084] Merging: Multiplying the current in a single beam by
directing simultaneous, parallel beams into a common magnetic
beamline with an attendant increase in transverse emittance.
[0085] Slug: A macropulse of one of the isotopic species designed
for telescoping beams. A Slug is formally identical to a
Macropulse. The term "Slug" or "Slug Species" or "Slug Macropulse"
is used to avoid confusion.
[0086] SubSlug: A Slug may comprise a small number (e.g., four) of
identical parts called SubSlugs. The SubSlug structure may be
created by a gating electrode on the ion source, a "beam chopper"
in the early portions of the accelerator, or a combination of both.
The SubSlug structure sets up the current amplification steps of
Merging and Loop Stacking.
[0087] SlugTrain: A complete series of Isotopic Slugs. An ignition
pulse may comprise more than one Slug Train, to enable heating a
fusion target with beams coming at the target from more than one
direction. The Isotopic Species and the Microbunches in the Slugs
of different Slug Trains are identical, but the sequence of spaces
between Slugs in different Slug Trains may be different, if needed
to accommodate different total beamline lengths to the fusion
targets.
[0088] Loop Stacking: Uses a 360 degree bend in the beamline to
return a SubSlug to the start of the Loop parallel to the input
beamline in synchronicity with the next following SubSlug. The
result of Loop Stacking is to multiply the number of beamlines
(e.g., one-Loop Stacking doubles the number of beam lines) in a
once-through process, in contrast to multi-turn injection in
storage rings that stacks beams in transverse phase space in a
storage ring's single boretube.
[0089] Snug: The process of moving the individual Microbunches
within each Slug closer together.
[0090] Cradling: A feature programmed into an RF waveform involving
a dynamic frequency shifting, in particular the dynamic frequency
shifting used for Snugging. The purpose of the feature is to
maximize the efficiency of the Snugger by making it possible to use
the widest swing of phases around the zero crossing.
[0091] Snugger: The accelerator section that effects the Snugging
process.
[0092] Bunch rotator: Bunch rotation refers to the orientation of
the phase space ellipse. The means to rotate the bunch in this
sense is to work on the bunch with electric fields that vary in
time so that ions in the bunch that pass a point at different times
receive different accelerations. The purpose of interest is to
handle the conserved phase space volume to retain the focusing to a
spot while also manipulating the ions of the beam to arrive within
the necessary pulse duration.
[0093] With the conventional definitions for the longitudinal phase
space, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis
represents momentum. The phase space of a collection of particles
(in this case, heavy ions) is "a constant of the motion". In an RF
accelerator, the phase space of the bunches evolves as in an
elliptical shape that can be squished on one axis and will respond
by stretching on the other axis.
[0094] If a bunch is tall and skinny, as shown in FIG. 26, it means
the momentum spread is at a relatively large value and the time
spread must be correspondingly at a relatively small value.
Momentum spread results in chromatic aberrations, which must be
within some limit (like 1%) if the bunch is focused to a small
spot. If the momentum spread is too large, the chromatic
aberrations may be the parameter that determines spot size.
[0095] If a phase space ellipse is left alone to drift, the higher
momentum particles will move ahead and the lower momentum particles
will fall behind. The effect is that the ellipse will shear along
the axis.
[0096] Bunch reflector: The purpose of reflection is to reset the
phase space ellipse so that it repeats the shear (described above)
as the bunch lives and moves forward. One repeats the process, like
Groundhog Day, until you get the bunch to where you want it to
go.
[0097] Whereas "bunch rotation" connotes "laying the bunch down" on
the time axis to minimize the momentum spread at the expense of
time spread, bunch reflection rotates the bunch into its mirror
image in either axis. Since it is not physical to reset the
position of the bunch in time, physically, the reflection is done
by shearing the bunch via the applied electric field--that means
that the leading tip that is at the highest momentum spread is sent
down through the axis to an equally negative momentum spread. Thus,
the particle at the leading tip which has been fastest becomes the
slowest and begins falling toward the back, while the particle at
the rear that was the slowest becomes the fastest and begins moving
toward the front.
[0098] For illustration, the HIDIF design rotates the bunch after
it shears in phase space during a drift distance of 160 m. With the
same parameters, a reflector would be needed every 320 m. It will
be a bit easier technologically to reflect the bunches more
frequently, as the HIDIF pushes the phase width of the bunch at the
time when rotation is applied to the extent that they have to
fabricate a sawtooth waveform to knock the ellipse down--i.e., to
rotate it. They do that to get the longest length along the time
axis, and therefore the lowest momentum spread. What we want to
accomplish can be done with much simpler demands on the RF
waveshape.
[0099] Snug Stopper: The snugging process is stopped temporarily to
allow the microbunches to maintain their positions in the
individual Slugs, while the Slugs "drift" to points at prescribed
distances from the targets in multiple reaction chambers.
[0100] Helical Delay Line (HDL) 2800: Shown in FIG. 28, a coiled
length of beam line in an embodiment. All Slugs exit the Delay Line
at approximately the same moment. The specific timing of the
various Slugs is set to: a. allow time for a pulsed magnet to
switch the slugs of different species a common beamline, in which
the continue to the fusion target. The schedule of arrival of the
various Slugs (in each SlugTrain of an Ignition Pulse), set at the
Ion Sources and coordinated with the waveform of the RF power,
results in Slugs arriving at their respective exit ports and, in
turn, at the switch magnets to become realigned in the SlugTrains
in closer succession, with the spacing schedule set for Telescoping
to culminate at the fusion fuel targets. The HDL carries multiple
beams in parallel beamtubes, guided and focused by fields from
magnets that are integrated into a compact and economical array.
Design of the beamlines, with switch magnets, at the exit port
locations accommodates switching the Slug from each of the parallel
beamlines into a corresponding individual beamlines that continue
the array of parallel beamlines to the point where they are
reinserted into beamlines that continue to the Multiple Chambers
with no further change to the number of parallel beamlines.
[0101] Slicker: Restarts the Snugging process at a distance ahead
of each chamber such that the Microbunches will complete a
specified slide over each other to provide the desired current
profile at the pellet. The Slick process is subject to the
constraints of the Liouville's Theorem. Simultaneous with progress
of the Slicking process, individual microbunches stretch (or
"shear") while the area of the longitudinal phase space ellipse
remains constant. The result is that individual microbunches become
longer, skinnier ellipses in the longitudinal phase space as they
simultaneously approach the fusion target and slide on top of one
another.
[0102] Fast Ignition: A class of fusion target designs that
separates the two processes of (a) fuel compression and (b) fuel
ignition. Heavy ion beam driver systems can be designed with or
without the Fast Ignition feature. Fast Ignition improves the
overall efficiency of achieving both the fuel density and ignition
temperature requirements.
[0103] Compression Pulse: The portion of the driver pulse that
drives the processes that compress the fusion fuel.
[0104] Fast Ignition Pulse: The portion of the driver pulse that is
focused into the approximate center of the precompressed fuel. The
duration of the Fast Ignition pulse is characterized by the length
of time for the fuel to disassemble, about the time for the fuel
density to drop by a factor like two.
[0105] Ignition Pulse Profile: The series of arrival times of
different Slugs at the fusion targets is set so as to form the
temporal shape of the pulse at the target that most effectively
"drives: a. the fuel into a compressed state, b. heats the fuel to
ignition, or c. performs both a and b in an integrated process of
compressing and heating.
[0106] Multiple Chambers: HIF fusion power is most economical if a
single heavy ion driver system ignites fusion pulses in a repeating
sequence in multiple fusion chambers. In the most general layouts
of multi-chamber fusion power parks, the distance from the
accelerator varies from chamber to chamber. The dynamic beam
generation processes must accommodate the variety of distances.
[0107] Final focusing lens: Final focusing means the focusing
outside the wall of the chamber that then lets the beam fly
ballistically to the target. The term `final` distinguishes this
from the many points where the beam is "focused" during transport
(in "strong focusing" transport beamlines) to keep it from
spreading.
[0108] FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a heavy-ion fusion system 1000,
known herein as an "Energy Park", incorporating the innovations
described herein below. An Energy Park may use power production
from fusion reactions alone or by multiplying the fusion energy by
using the fusion neutrons to drive fission reactions in
sub-critical fission piles. As desired, an Energy Park may
incorporate features for destroying high level radioactive waste by
intensely bombarding such materials with fusion neutrons, or for
the production of neutron beams for various applications. In brief,
the system includes a plurality of reaction chambers 1002 in which
pulses of heavy ions are directed to targets, generally known as
pellets, containing fusion fuel. In the embodiment shown, the
reaction chambers 1002 are grouped in a system 1001 known as
"Industry Park". As described herein below, the pulses occur in two
phases: a compression pulse to pre-compress the fuel in the target
in preparation for a fast ignition pulse, which raises the
temperature of a relatively small portion of the compressed fuel to
ca. 10 keV to cause vigorous fusion reactions. Some of the energy
carried by the helium nucleus emitted from the D-T fusion reaction
is redeposited in the fuel, raising its temperature further and
accelerating its reaction rate. In the process called "propagating
burn", fuel adjacent to the fast-ignited mass is ignited by heat
transferred from the fast-ignited fuel and subsequently self-heated
by redeposition of the energy of the helium nucleus from the fusion
reactions, photon flow, and hydrodynamic processes. The burn
propagates very quickly throughout the fuel, causing ca. 40% of the
fuel to burn. The heavy-ion beams 1004, 1005 are typically routed
toward the reaction chamber along beamlines (also 1004, 1005). In
one embodiment, each of the reaction chambers 1002 is serviced by
two beamlines, each beamline delivering four heavy-ion beams. An
accelerator 1003 includes an ion source 1006, an accelerator
section 1007 and a current amplification module 1008, known herein
as a "snugger". Ions are emitted from the source 1006 and received
by the accelerator 1007, where, in addition to being accelerated,
they undergo other processing such as focusing, until they are
emitted from the accelerator section and received by the snugger
1008. After being emitted from the snugger, the ions undergo
further processing, described in detail herein below, before they
are allowed to drift in the direction of the industry park 1001,
comprising the reaction chambers 1002. Energy liberated as a result
of fusion reactions is coupled to a power plant for conversion to
other forms of energy. In applications where the fusion energy
output is amplified by fission reactions in a sub-critical fission
pile placed so as to be irradiated by neutrons from the fusion
reactions and thereby to caused to undergo fission reactions, the
net energy from fusion and fission processes is coupled to a power
plant for conversion to other forms of energy. This is similar to
case of only fusion energy, but with additional features
appropriate for handling fission materials.
[0109] To use neutrons from fusion reactions for applications such
as research and production of special isotopes, beams of neutrons
in collimation channels provided for the purpose may be directed
into moderators to achieve the neutron spectra desired for these
applications. The beams also may be directed into a neutron
multiplying material or a sub-critical mass of fission material to:
1. Increase the total number of neutrons available that that point
for the intended applications, 2. Exchange lower energy neutrons
for the high energy fusion neutrons, and 3. Be integrated with the
moderator as previously said.
Clean Reaction Chamber Innovations
[0110] The Heavy-ion Driver delivers an Ignitor Pulse via a
practical number of beams to the entrance ports into the Reaction
Chamber (e.g., eight beams total, with four on each of two sides).
The salient features of the chamber embody precautions taken to
convert the 14 MeV neutron energy to heat without reaching the
chamber 2000 walls. As shown in FIG. 2, this is accomplished by
initiating the reaction with the fuel pellet inside a substantial
body of lithium 2001. In the simplest example, this is a sphere of
lithium about 60 cm in diameter, hereinafter known as a lithium
sabot. Additional protection for the chamber 2000 is provided by
lithium spray and droplets 2002.
[0111] The lithium sabots 3000 also shield the fuel targets at
cryogenic temperatures from the elevated temperature in the
reaction chamber. The fuel-transporting sabots may be variously
shaped and configured, with appropriate access holes 3001 for the
heavy ion beams. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the lithium sabot is
spherical in shape, however other embodiments exist wherein the
sabot assumes other shapes, cylinders or cones, for example. In all
cases the thickness of the lithium must be at least 30 centimeters
from pellet to the closest boundary of the pellet holder.
Collisions between the neutrons and the lithium atoms over this
radius convert a preponderance of the kinetic energy carried by the
neutrons to heat. Nuclear reactions of the neutrons with the
lithium regenerate tritium, produce additional helium and more
heat, and result in a preponderance of the neutrons being captured
and denied access to the materials of the chamber walls. As shown
in FIG. 3, the lithium sabot 3000 may be configured to cause
expansion in preferred directions 3002, such as along the axis of a
cylindrical containment vessel.
[0112] The reaction chamber 2000 can have various shapes from
spherical to cylindrical to composite shapes of various conic
surfaces. FIG. 4 illustrates an internal view 4000 of a reaction
chamber 2000, schematically illustrating a rain of protective
lithium droplets 4001, is shown. A bounding envelope must withstand
both high vacuum and moderate transient pressures and will be
constructed from steel, and other materials. Leaching of alloy
materials is avoided by materials contacting only lithium returning
from the low temperature end of the heat exchanger. Additional
lifetime is added to the chamber by cladding of alloy steels with
simple iron on the surfaces facing lithium. Lithium flowing in
conduits such as pipes and/or tubes also flows at, mainly, the low,
incoming fluid temperature, approximately the melting point of
lithium (180.5.degree. C.).
[0113] The heated lithium cools from a plasma state and eventually
condenses in a series of phases, and the chamber is back to its
`cool` state ready for another reaction to take place in a fraction
of a second. This requires pumping tons of lithium per pulse to
cool and protect the chamber walls, e.g., approximately five tons
for fusion releases of two BOE (barrel of oil equivalents) each, or
50 tons for twenty BOE releases. The heated lithium goes through
the heat exchangers and returns as cool fluid to cool the chamber
and re-establish the vacuum (low gas density) necessary for the
ignitor beam to propagate across the chamber radius to ignite the
next fuel target.
[0114] The total mass of lithium for each fusion pulse, injected
into the chamber at flow rates tailored along the chamber's length
for the desired temperature history, is sized according to the
integrated scheme of fuel sabot injection, ignitor beam passage,
fusion energy containment and conversion, expansion of the lithium,
extinguishing the plasma, further cooling to heat transfer
temperatures, and restoring the required pre-pulse environment.
These phases compare to the processes of an internal combustion
engine operating on chemical combustion: [0115] power stroke with
power take off; [0116] exhaust of spent fuel charge; [0117]
rejection of unused heat; [0118] fuel charge injection; and [0119]
ignition.
[0120] FIG. 5 provides an illustration of a Chamber 5000
environment at an early stage of lithium plasma expansion around
one microsecond after the fusion energy release. For illustration,
fusion releases equivalent to the energy contained in two barrels
of oil, absorbed in the lithium sabot, form electrically conducting
lithium plasmas. Regarding the plasma as the thermodynamic working
fluid at this stage, non-contacting means may be provided that
operate with this extremely high temperature working fluid, to
realize a topping cycle with a revolutionary increase in conversion
efficiency. The novelty in the present embodiment of this energy
conversion technique is that it applies to the combined heat of the
electrically neutral neutron, which carries 80% of the total fusion
energy release, as well as the electrically charged helium nucleus,
which carries only 20% of the total fusion energy release. FIG. 6
shows a schematic arrangement 6000 for a energy conversion directly
to electricity by a non-contacting, topping-cycle. As shown in the
diagram 7000 of FIG. 7, pulsed direct conversion involves
transmission, handling, and processing technology for timescales of
around 10 microseconds.
[0121] Neutrons are insulated from the chamber walls by flows and
sprays of low temperature lithium returned from the heat exchanger
9001. A large chamber for producing 100 BOE, or more, per minute
provides adequate gas dynamic expansion. The volume of the plasma
that forms upon ignition of the fuel pellet at the center of the
Lithium may be about 1440 cubic meters. Microseconds after the
pellet undergoes Fusion the lithium surrounding the fuel pellet has
vaporized to become Plasma whose energy is being harvested by
direct conversion to electromagnetic fields and electric
currents.
[0122] Further cooling and chamber wall protection is accomplished
by filling the chamber volume with sprays of liquid lithium
droplets. Out to a certain distance from the fusion burn, this
lithium becomes part of the plasma. Further out, lithium is even
vaporized. Lithium covering the walls protects the walls by
ablation, and the lithium beneath the ablation boundary maintains
the walls at the modest temperature of the lithium returned from
the heat exchanger 3001 subsystem. Heat is not extracted through
the main walls of the chamber, as the bulk of the heat flows
towards the ends of the cylindrical expansion volume. The lithium
working fluid progressively cools by interaction with lithium
sprays along the axis of the cylindrical chamber, and condenses
beyond the direct conversion zone. Condensed, hot lithium comes in
contact with the primary heat exchanger 3001 and heat is
transferred to a secondary fluid for use in processes located
outside the primary containment, defined as the lithium
boundary.
[0123] Exhaust of fusion reaction products concerns primarily the
helium and tritium produced. Tritium is needed to fuel later D-T
(deuterium-tritium) pulses. Tritium containment also is the chief
radiological hazard of the entire HIF power system. The large body
of knowledge regarding tritium safety is clear on the engineering
requirements. The HIF chamber system economically accommodates
several layers of redundant features to assure tritium safety.
[0124] Prior to the next energy release, the low temperature
lithium acts as a getter pump to scavenge lithium vapor left behind
by the power and exhaust dynamics.
[0125] FIG. 8 shows a Chamber 8000 with lithium restored to receive
a fusion energy release, with vacuum restored to allow propagation
of the HIF ignitor pulse.
[0126] The temperature of the lithium progressively decreases as it
functions to: [0127] capture a preponderant fraction of the
neutrons and essentially 100% of their energy; [0128] to knock down
the pressures of the explosive pulse; and [0129] to convert energy
to electricity in non-contacting, direct-conversion processes.
Lithium in liquid form at different positions in the reaction
chamber experiences temperatures as low as 200 degrees Celsius to
temperatures as high as 1200 degrees Celsius each time a pellet
ignites, not counting the room temperature lithium of the fuel
sabot or the temperatures of this and immediately surrounding
lithium during the plasma state. This heat flux, along with the
electrical energy extracted by direct conversion, is the major
product of the fusion reaction. Secondary heat exchangers convert
this heat to other products such as hydrogen gas for use in
producing synthetic fuels, steam for use in conventional steam
turbines, and heat for the desalinization of water by
evaporation.
[0130] An external view 9000 of a cylindrical reaction chamber 9001
and its primary heat exchange system 9002 is shown in FIG. 9. In
addition, a fuel injector, and vacuum pumping for exhaust of
reaction products and the fraction of the fuel that remains
unreacted (typically about half).
[0131] Because tritium is released to the working fluid during the
reaction it must be recovered to meet governmental radiation safety
standards and to provide the Tritium necessary for subsequent
reactions. To assure that no Tritium is accidentally released to
the environment, the whole of the reaction vessel and its heat
exchangers is typically enclosed in a secondary containment vessel.
This vessel may be filled with a gas that is not reactive with
Lithium, for example Argon.
[0132] Supporting activities for the reaction vessel 2000 include:
[0133] Lithium pumps; [0134] Pellet making facilities; [0135]
Lithium sphere, or other carrier, manufacturing facilities; [0136]
Tritium recovery facilities; [0137] Large vacuum pumps; and [0138]
Secondary heat exchangers.
[0139] Of all of these supporting activities, only the secondary
heat exchangers can be outside the secondary containment structure.
All functions internal to the secondary containment are capable of
operating remotely, for no oxygen or water or water vapor can be
located where it could come in contact with the lithium. Lithium
oxidizes rapidly in the presence of air and reacts violently when
in contact with water.
Ignitor Pulse Structure and Timing
[0140] It is instructive to regard the Driver design from the
vantage point of the controls system. This especially aids design
illumination by providing a common framework to describe the manner
in which the individual processes function and the requirements to
coordinate them. Referring now to FIG. 10, a top-level functional
block diagram of an HIF Driver 1000 is shown: [0141] Front end
1001; [0142] isotopic ion sources (d, e) 1002; timing source;
[0143] HVDC (d, e) 1003; [0144] RF capture and initial acceleration
(d,e) 1004; beam synching to fractional RF period begins; continues
to Slicker RF; [0145] Isotope alignment (d, e) 1005; [0146]
Acceleration and Zip compaction (z) 1006; [0147] Snug compaction
1007; [0148] Isotope differential acceleration begins telescope
compaction 1008; [0149] RF bunch maintenance begins; [0150] Merge
compaction 1009; [0151] Slug-slug delay-line compaction 1010;
[0152] Isotope-isotope delay-line compaction 1011; [0153]
Isotope-isotope telescoping drift compaction 1012; [0154] Switch
into beamline into specific chamber 1020; [0155] Slick kick starts
slick compaction 1013; [0156] RF bunch maintenance ends 1021;
[0157] Wobbler starts beam hollow (g) 1014; [0158] Focus lens (g)
1015; [0159] Beam neutralization 1016; [0160] Fuel pellet 1017; and
[0161] Timing target 1018.
[0162] The above design provides the timing accuracy to cause the
various dynamic processes of beam generation to culminate at fusion
fuel targets with including power profile and aiming, at fusion
targets power profile and to meet the targets as they move through
the target zone. The design also provides the timing flexibility
required to achieve specified Ignitor Pulse parameters, in Multiple
Chambers. Overall Ignitor Pulse programming is able to vary the
spacing of Isotopes based first on the speeds of the different ions
a table of Isotopic Species. The timing for source gating is
derived from the master clock of the RF synchronizer.
[0163] Improvements in the areas of each of the functional blocks
include:
New Features of Ion Sources and Low Velocity Acceleration:
[0164] Most of the new mechanisms for the compaction of the beam
come after the beam leaves the linac. The new design also involves
changes in features of the linac, which complement the improved
beam reconfiguration (manipulation) design. Most novel are the
features related to the more effective use of a larger number of
different Isotopic Species than in previous HIF driver designs. The
Front Ends of the accelerator include a combination of underused
but previously demonstrated features plus the novel integration of
the first RFQ (radiofrequency quadrupole linac section).
[0165] Ion Source Hotel
[0166] The Ion Source Hotel (array) integrates many isotopic
sources into a compact cluster of one for each Species, including
both the Species for the Compression Pulse and for the Fast
Ignition Pulse (if employed). The output pulses from individual
isotopic sources are given synchronized timing via: 1. a gate
voltage and 2. pulsed excitation of the ion emission process in a
programmed series to produce the basic building block of Slug beam
lets in the desired sequence. The compact array of beams enables
the HVDC column to continue the parallel geometry of the beam paths
from the specified array of apertures.
[0167] HVDC Preaccelerator
[0168] HVDC source technology in excess of 1 MV, e.g., 1.5 MV
demonstrated in prior art, viz., Argonne National Laboratory
1976-80. In conventional design practice, the peak current limit
for transport in a strong focusing magnetic beamline increases with
(.beta.y).sup.5/3 (.beta.=v/c, c=speed of light,
.gamma.=relativistic factor). Using commercial ion source
technology and commercial HVDC sources, this scaling contributes an
important factor to increasing the peak current of each beam, with
the desired low beam emittance, at the output of the linear
accelerator. The array of beams is suitably compact for immediate
transfer (close-coupling), with continuation of spatial
configuration of the array of apertures and beam centerlines, to
the following Marquee RF Linac.
[0169] Marquee RF Linac
[0170] The Marquee Linac facilitates acceleration of the
space-charge dominated, low velocity beam by not significantly
bending the beams at the lowest velocities where magnetic focusing
fields are less effective. The Marquee linac structure has an array
of parallel beam channels matching the pattern of beam centerlines
in the Source Hotel and the accelerating column in the HVDC
preaccelerator. Each beam channel in the Marquee carries only one
Isotopic Species of beam. The pulsed beams of specified Isotopic
Species (aka Isotopic Macropulses or Sluggettes) occur in the array
of beam channels in the programmed temporal sequence imprinted at
the ion sources.
[0171] The first section of the Marquee Linac is a radiofrequency
quadupole (RFQ) accelerator structure. The ion speed at the output
of the Marquee will be specified in detailed design based on the
beam physics and capabilities of the beam handling component
technology (e.g., pulsed magnets). In one embodiment, the RF
Marquee section may comprise only RFQ tanks at the one RF frequency
(i.e., no jump of RF frequency).
[0172] Aligner (Aka Marquee Collapser)
[0173] After the Marquee linac section, the beams that exit in
temporal sequence from the parallel beam channels are fed into a
single beam channel, i.e., one channel downstream of each Marquee,
by a beamline switchyard using moderately fast switch magnets.
Specifying a practical rise time of these magnetic switches will be
a determinant of the temporal gap between Slugs, along with the
requirements for downstream beam handling and the eventual
telescoping of species. After the Aligner (Collapser), all isotopic
Sluggettes, emitted from each one of the multiple front ends, are
transported and further accelerated in one beam channel.
Overview of Current Multiplication Processes
Accelerator Driver Summary
[0174] Telescoping is exploited, e.g., 10 Isotopes for tenfold
increase in working volume of 6-dimensional phase space. State of
the art source technology is used. A State of the art
Preaccelerator HVDC of .about.1 MV is used, cf. Argonne National
Laboratory 1976-80. A Linac emits multiple parallel beams, e.g.,
four.
[0175] Stacking in transverse phase space uses a low number, e.g.,
two in each transverse plane. Ignitor Pulses are generated with
once-through accelerators and beamlines. Storage rings are not
used. Microbunch structure is maintained all the way to the fusion
fuel target, i.e., identity and integrity of each RF microbunch of
ions is maintained. Macropulses of individual isotopes, called
Slugs, contract (called Snug) due to differential acceleration in
Snuggers, e.g., .+-.5% to .+-.10% of the nominal speed, using
successive blocks of linear accelerator tanks operating at
progressively higher frequencies, e.g., from 400 Hz for first block
and 4 GHz for the last block.
[0176] The last sections of the Snugger, called the Snug Stopper,
reverse the sense of the input Snugging voltage to return the
nominal speed of all microbunches to the nominal speed of the
Isotopic Slug. The beam passes through a Helical Delay Line 2800
that removes space from between Slug centroids by magnetically
switching out successive Slugs from successive coils of the Helix,
at programmed times such that, when they are reinjected into common
beamlines, they take the next programmed step of power
amplification.
[0177] This set of beamlines, e.g., four beamlines, continues to
switch points that route the beams to one of the multiple fusion
chambers. The differential distance to multiple fusion chambers is
accommodated by the central timing program for computer-controlled
operation. To provide two-sided target illumination, a set of two
Slug Trains, each comprising a Compression Pulse and a Fast
Ignition Pulse, are produced in series by the target for both Slug
Trains. The accelerator may be timed such that drift distances and
other parameters for Snugging and Telescoping simultaneously
achieve maximum intensity timed in coordination with fuel target
timing.
[0178] A low factor of emittance multiplication, e.g., 2.5.times.,
realizes a step-change improvement for low emittance at the fusion
fuel target. The Fast Ignition requirement of small spot diameter
is enabled by the smaller emittance. Chromatic aberrations are
controlled within practical limits by conservation of longitudinal
phase space RF of the beam structure at the microbunch level, e.g.,
1% momentum spread in the final focus lens.
[0179] Overall RF-based coordination produces and delivers Ignitor
Pulses to fusion targets on absolute, end-to-end timing to the
accuracy of a fraction of an RF period. Substantial timing errors
are permissible, as the limit of the capability exceeds foreseeable
requirements.
[0180] Programmed timing of the pulsing of the array of ion
sources, HVDC, and RF power provides the large flexibility
(bandwidth) of the design concept to dial-in the sequence of beam
generation processes in the computer control program.
Ignitor Pulse Structure and Timing
[0181] It is instructive to regard the Driver design from the
vantage point of the controls system. This especially aids design
illumination by providing a common framework to describe the manner
in which the individual processes function and the requirements to
coordinate them. Referring now to FIG. 10, a top-level functional
block diagram of HIF Driver 1000 is shown: [0182] ion sources 1001;
[0183] preaccelerator HVDC (high voltage direct current) 1002;
[0184] an RF linear accelerator section 1003; [0185] a current
amplification section 1004; and [0186] multiple reaction chambers
1005.
[0187] The above design provides the timing accuracy to cause the
various dynamic processes of beam generation to culminate at fusion
fuel targets with including power profile and aiming, at fusion
targets power profile and to meet the targets as they move through
the target zone. The design also provides the timing flexibility
required to achieve t specified Ignitor Pulse parameters, in
Multiple Chambers. Overall Ignitor Pulse programming is able to
vary the spacing of Isotopes based first on the speeds of the
different ions a table of Isotopic Species. The timing for source
gating is derived from the master clock of the RF synchronizer.
[0188] A beam diagnostics and accelerator controls system
establishes accuracy of the arrival of the Ignitor Pulse to
timescales for the Ignitor Pulse's temporal waveform, e.g.,
nanoseconds to tenths of nanoseconds. Synchronization of the
absolute arrival time of the Ignitor Pulse with the passage of the
fusion fuel target as it falls through the bullseye is obtained by
precise tracking of the fuel target's position and orientation by
tracking means such as reticules affixed to the targets and
tracking observation by means, e.g., optical, that provide
precision measurements of the position, speed and rotation of each
target within its lithium sabot. Provision of such tracking means
are facilitated by the use of the sabot and the relatively large
size of each sabot-target assembly.
[0189] The Driver is computer operated, using centralized Master
Timing via the coordinating effect of synchronizing RF waveforms.
Distributed timing control provides realtime corrective responses,
using for example the ability (provided by the ionic speeds being
less than control signal propagation speeds) to feed-forward data
about the beam position and other parameters. The state of the art
for the precise timing and control of RF fields extends to
approximately one part in ten thousand.
[0190] Delivery of a high current short duration pulse to the
fusion pellet target located in each of many chambers at various
distances from the source is depends on the pulse structure of the
ion source. The precise timing of each beam to each chamber is
unique and accounts for the distance to the chamber for the
specific beam, the properties of all of the switches and
accelerators in the beam path, and the precise lengths of each of
the delay paths. It also may take into account the differences in
mass of the individual isotopic species used in the ion beam.
[0191] When the properties of the pulse at the target are defined
by the energy release needs of the fuel pellet, the challenge is to
amplify the source ion current via the pulse structure and the
accelerator properties to the magnitude required by the ignition
parameters at the target.
[0192] This amplification is dependent upon cascading a series of
steps of current amplification as described in subsequent sections,
but it is all dependent on the ion source current parameters and
their precise timing structure as they leave the sources. The
timing within the pulse structure 1102 that evolves as a result of
the beam generation processes is set by the release of ions via
grid gating at the source 1101. The heaviest ions are released
first and are followed sequentially by each of the lighter species
in descending isotopic mass order. One source for each of the
isotopes is integrated into a compact structure called a Source
Hotel 1101, as shown in FIG. 11.
[0193] The ion source within a Source Hotel 1101 is gated to
release identical duration macropulses 1200, FIG. 12 as a set of
equal parts, e.g., four, of the feature of the beam structure
called an Isotopic Slug. The Isotopic Slugs are sequential and do
not overlap, propagating in parallel channels. The source beams are
accelerated by HVDC in Preaccelerators, with one Source Hotel
extractor integrated with the HVDC column electrodes in each
Preaccelerator. The electrodes have a pattern of apertures that
matches those of the Hotel. For purposes of illustration, the
emission from sixty-four, state of the art Source
Hotel-Preaccelerator assemblies comfortably exceeds the
requirements of the most stringent Ignitor Pulse parameters.
[0194] The sequence of Isotope Slugs for the Fast Ignition (FI)
pulse is emitted first (i.e., using heavier ions for the FI Pulse
than for the Compression Pulse), with the first Slug containing the
heaviest isotope. Next, the Slugs for the Compression Pulse are
released after a pause in time determined by the velocity
differences between the FI ions and the lengths of beamline
determined by details of the series of beam generation processes.
The timed release of each of the different Isotopic Slugs follows
in descending isotopic mass order, with a schedule of delays
between Slugs that is determined by the ion mass (which determines
its speed in a series of isotopes by the Telescoping Condition of
equal magnetic rigidity), the accelerator length, and the length of
the beamline to a fusion target in a given reaction Chamber.
[0195] Each complete series of Isotopic Slugs forms a
non-overlapping sequence of Slugs called a Slug Train. The total
release duration for each Slug for the Compression Pulse (which
many times the total energy as the Fast Ignition Pulse) is
nominally 10 .mu.sec and the overall release time Slug Train lies
between 400 .mu.sec and 500 .mu.sec, depending upon the distance to
the most distant reaction chamber.
[0196] In the first RF accelerator section, the Slugs continue to
be accelerated as parallel beams with the Source Hotel's array. All
the accelerating channels are on, regardless of which channel a
Slug is in at a given axial location and time. Visualized end-on,
the emission of Slugs from the individual channels is similar to a
theatre Marquee with only one light blinking at a time in a pattern
with complex but specific timing.
[0197] Immediately downstream from the Preaccelerator, each
macropulse enters the first section of the RF accelerator and is
imprinted with the micropulse structure. The strength of the
accelerating field over the entire linear accelerator is higher for
Slugs with higher mass, to accelerate the higher mass to an equal
speed at each point along the linac.
[0198] Referring now to FIG. 13, shown is a diagram 1300 of a pulse
structure in the RF accelerator.
[0199] The first RF accelerator is a multi-channel radiofrequency
quadupole, or RFQ, which integrates RF quadrupole electric focusing
and acceleration. The RF field in the initial section of the RFQ
provides strong focusing fields and a smoothly increasing
accelerating field to approach isentropic conversion of the DC
incoming Slug beam into microbunches (.mu.bunches) in a continuous
stream at the RF frequency. For illustration, each .mu.bunch
contains a number of ions of the order of ten billion. An entire
Ignition Pulse (e.g., carrying a total of 20 MJ of ions that carry
20 GeV (3.2 nanoJoules) each) contains about eighty thousand of
these elemental, .mu.bunch groups of the energy-carrying heavy
ions. The purpose for continuing the Marquee in the first stage of
RF acceleration is to delay bending the beam until the speed of the
ions is able to efficiently use magnetic focusing to handle the
space charge forces associated with high beam current. The initial
speeds of the heavy ions for HIF Drivers (i.e., in the front end)
are especially slow because, to achieve the brightest beam, the
preferred choice is for the ions to be singly charged.
[0200] After the ion speed is raised in the RF accelerator section
with the Marquee array of parallel Isotopic Slugs, the beam is fed
to an accelerator section operating at twice the frequency of the
RF Marquee, e.g., 12.5 MHz. Between the two RF structures, the
beams from the Marquee are Aligned for insertion into the 25 MHz
structure as a collinear Slug Train. The array of the Aligner's
magnetic beamlines, e.g., sixteen (nominally ten for the
Compression Pulse and six for the Fast Ignition Pulse), are routed,
one each, to a corresponding series of AC switch magnets (one on
the Aligned beamline for each Slug) that bend the Slugs into a
common, Aligned magnetic transport channel, in a Slug Train with
the specified time structure. Prior art also describes an alignment
process that integrates the interleaving (or funneling) of
microbunches at the frequency doublings. Prior art further
describes a process of interleaving two beams that smoothly
integrates with the design of an RFQ accelerator. Using this
concept, the Aligner also doubles the average current of a Slug.
FIG. 14 provides a diagram 1400 showing the interleaving of two
beams of microbunches 1401, 1402 into a single beam 1403 having
twice the frequency of the original beams 1401, 1402.
[0201] The beams emerge in the higher frequency RF structure
downstream operating at 25 MHz (e.g., a second RFQ) with twice as
many micropulses in each Slug, and half the number of parallel
beams. The beams continue into the next structure and upon
emergence are interleaved with an adjacent beam once again thus
again doubling the number of micropulses and halving the number of
beams that need to enter the next linac section. After each
subsequent acceleration section the beams continue to have their
micropulses doubled by interleaving until four beams remain at the
end of the 200 MHz accelerator.
[0202] With interleaving repeated at each of the frequency steps,
e.g., five, the current of each Slug multiplies by a factor of
thirty-two. FIG. 15 provides a diagram 1500 illustrating the
process of "funneling"-interleaving at frequency doublings. The
timing structure for the RF fields in any given section of the
linear accelerator is illustrated in FIG. 15. The beam forming
process is repeated a second time, producing two sequential Slug
Trains. The two Slug Trains are separated later, to deliver one
beam to each side of the destination reaction Chamber. For
illustration, the result of interleaving is four parallel beams in
the last section of the linac used by the slower group of Slugs,
e.g., the substantially heavier ions used for the Fast Ignition
Pulse. The final portion of this linac section, called the
Telescoper, has a pulsed switch magnet for each of the Slugs. The
switches are located where the Slug in question reaches the
specified Common Beam Rigidity. Once that magnetic stiffness is
reached, they are removed from the accelerator and fed into a
Telescoping beamline, i.e., a magnetic beamline in which Slugs of
the same stiffness but different speed are able to catch up to each
other. The following (faster) Slugs for the Fast Ignition Pulse are
fed into an accelerator with twice the frequency (e.g., 400 MHz),
but are not interleaved, and continue as four parallel beams of
Slugs with RF-synchronized microbunch structures. The final portion
of this linac section is, again, a Telescoper, integrating a pulsed
switch magnet (between linac tanks) for each of the at the point
where the Slug in question reaches the specified Common Beam
Rigidity, which is identical with Rigidity of the ions in the group
of slower Slugs.
[0203] Once all slugs are out of the Telescoper, the four beam
lines are merged to form one beam line with four times the current.
The radiofrequency microstructure of the merged beam is the same as
for each of the pre-merged parallel beams, as is the SubSlug
structure.
[0204] Next, alternating SubSlugs from the merged beam line are
immediately switched into the start of a new beamline, which is
bent into 360 degree loop, to arrive in RF synchronism with the
next SubSlug. This Loop Stacking will use a series of two loops
(sending four parallel beams downstream), or one (sending two
parallel beams downstream). The result of Loop Stacking is to
position multiple SubSlugs at precisely equal distances from the
fusion target.
[0205] Downstream, the Slugs are the length of a SubSlug, and the
SubSlug timing feature goes away. The number of parallel beams in
parallel beamlines at this point (i.e., either two or four, in this
illustration) continues to the Chamber and the fusion target, with
one of the two SlugTrains magnetically switched into one or the
other of two sets of the beamlines for two-sided target
heating.
[0206] All operations beyond the Telescoper may take into account
the fact that the Slugs are moving at different velocities relative
to each other and thus are getting progressively closer together at
the same time that the RF frequency of the Snugger is bringing the
micropulse structure to higher and higher frequency. The Snug
Stopper freezes the microstructure, but the Slugs continue to drift
together until, at the target, they all arrive on their
pre-programmed schedule.
[0207] Specified RF waveforms are generated at low power by a
Master and Subordinate Arbitrary Waveform generators. The Driver's
RF Master Clock communicates with the Chamber controls, in
particular those concerned with the dynamic injection of fuel
charges in their protective sabots.
[0208] The total duration of beam emitted by the linear accelerator
for each ignition pulse is, for example 200 .mu.sec. Blank spaces
in the overall beam profile are needed for a number of purposes,
including: [0209] Gating the outputs of the ion sources for
different Isotopes; [0210] Subdividing Isotopic Slugs into a number
(e.g., four) of SubSlugs; [0211] Switching alternating SubSlugs
into parallel beamlines in Loop Stacking; [0212] Raising or
lowering RF accelerating gradients between passage of one Isotopic
Slug and the next, to accelerate isotopes with different masses to
equal speeds at each point of the path through the Fixed
Beta-Profile linac and Telescoper; [0213] Raising or lowering the
RF frequency in the beam manipulation processes of Snugging, Snug
Stopping, and Slicking; [0214] Switching Slugs after the HDL from
individual beamlines into common beamlines; [0215] Bifurcating
beams for RF bunch maintenance in the HDL and at the Slicker.
[0216] Certain processes can exploit the same time gap as certain
others. Thus, the required sum the time gaps may be less than the
sum of the times of the gaps for processes individually. Prominent
features of the design are specifically for the purpose of removing
these gaps, including Telescoping of Multiple Ion Species and by
the action of the Helical Delay Line 2800.
New and Modified Features and Processes for Ignitor Pulse
Generation
[0217] The following list is in the approximate order in which the
processes occur during generation of an Ignitor Pulse:
[0218] 1. From a closely-packed array of ion sources, generate a
time-sequenced series of separate beams of a specific set of ion
species in individual parallel channels. The set of heavy ion
species may comprise isotopes of the same atomic element or a
combination of atomic elements.
[0219] 2. Accelerate the multiple beams from the source array in a
HVDC structure with: the same array of parallel channels and
close-coupled to the ion sources to maximize beam brightness.
[0220] 3. Capture the DC beam in the RF fields of a radiofrequency
quadrupole accelerator (RFQ) which: 1. Is integrated with and
close-coupled to the HVDC accelerating structure, 2. Converts the
time-sequenced DC pulses of the isotopic beams in parallel channels
into trains (called a "micropulses") of "micropulses" at the RF
frequency and 3. Further accelerates the ions to facilitate beam
transport using magnetic fields.
[0221] 4. Use magnetic fields to direct the time-sequenced beams of
different isotopes onto a common beamline for further acceleration
in the same sequence.
[0222] 5. Double the current per isotopic beam macropulse by
"zippering" the micropulses of previously separate beams of each
isotopes into a single line, at points where beams are transported
from an accelerator structure at a given RF frequency to a
structure at twice that frequency, as required to accommodate the
progressively increasing speed of the ions.
[0223] 6. Move microbunches within each Slug closer together
(Snug). The process is illustrated in FIG. 24. Microbunches within
a Slug are differentially accelerated and decelerated, progressing
from maximum deceleration of the first microbunch in a Slug to
maximum acceleration of the last microbunch in a Slug;
[0224] 7. Differential microbunch acceleration is achieved by
offsetting the RF frequency of the Snugger linear accelerator
sections. From the first microbunch experiencing the most
deceleration, the phase of the RF field experienced by successive
micropulses moves progressively higher on the RF waveform, until
the last microbunch in a Slug experiences the most differential
acceleration;
[0225] 8. The absolute frequency offset is calculated by dividing
the difference of the stable (but decreasing) phase angle from
front to back of the Slug, e.g., 60 degrees total, by the number of
micropulses in a Slug, e.g., one thousand.;
[0226] 9. The RF phase control requirement is set by the fractional
frequency difference, for example, one part in ten thousand;
[0227] 10. RF frequency of each Snugger tank is programmed to step
progressively to higher frequency, synchronized to the different
speeds of the multiple ion species. Practical limits on the
bandwidth of the linac structures and their RF power sources
determine the limits on the different Isotopic Species that can be
treated by one Snugger beamline;
[0228] 11. Where another unique group of Isotopic Species is used
with a large difference in mass and speed, e.g., to achieve
valuable effects in the fusion fuel target such as Fast Ignition,
separate, parallel Snuggers are required. Each separate Snugger is
able to treat Isotopic Species with mass differences ranging over
approximately 10% (i.e., .+-.5%);
[0229] 12. Snugging causes the microbunches in a Slug to pass
successive points along the beamline at progressively higher
frequency, corresponding to the decreasing distance between
microbunches. To maintain efficient use of the applied RF voltage,
the RF frequency is correspondingly increased in a specified number
of discrete locations in the Snugger, in successive blocks of
Snugger linac tanks. Higher frequency RF structures handle higher
electric accelerating fields, substantially shortening physical
length;
[0230] 13. Snugging limit is reached when the dimensions of RF
structure are judged to be as small as acceptable to pass the
very-high-power beam with a total beam loss by wall impingement of,
for example, 1% over tens of kilometers of beam tube;
[0231] 14. Slug average current increases, e.g., 10.times., for
Snugging that is driven by frequencies starting at 400 Mz and
stopped by frequencies ending at 4 GHz. Width of phase on RF
Snugger wave is substantially unchanged, and microbunch peak
current increases by the Snugging factor, i.e., 10.times. for this
example;
[0232] 15. Snug Stopping returns the microbunches to the same
reference energy, as will be required regarding chromatic
aberration at the focus. the: enables timing to accommodate
different distances to multiple chambers;
[0233] 16. In the Telescoper accelerator section, Slugs of
different isotopes are accelerated to the different energies needed
for all isotopes to have common rigidity. In general, the
Telescoper accelerates multiple parallel beams. The multiple
parallel beams of each isotopic species are diverted by pulsed
switch magnets, located between consecutive tanks of the Telescoper
section, when the energy of that specie's ions reaches the
specified ratio of momentum to charge state (i.e., magnetic
stiffness or rigidity) that is identical for all species to enable
all species to be: 1. transported in the same beamlines without
change to the strength of the magnetic field prior to 2.
Telescoping of the different isotopic Slugs into each other as they
approach the end of the beam path to the fusion pellet.
[0234] 17. Emit multiple, parallel high-energy beams (e.g., 4
beams) from the Telescoper, which is the concluding part of the
linear accelerator.
[0235] 18. Merge multiple beams (e.g., 4 beams) from linac into one
beam by stacking them 2.times.2 in each plane of the transverse
phase space. This results in a 4-fold increase in micropulse peak
current and Slug peak or average current, and a concomitant
increase in the beam emittance by the basic factor of two plus a
small dilution factor;
[0236] 19. Maintain individuality of the merged microbunches
throughout the system, until released from RF phase focusing in the
beamlines leading to the fusion fuel target in a specific
chamber;
[0237] 20. Reconfigure the Merged single beam into multiple
parallel beams in a Slug-Slug Delay Line (SSDL). In one embodiment,
the first of two consecutive Slugs is switched into the first phase
of the SSDL such that, at the output of this phase, the previously
consecutive, inline Slugs travel in two parallel beamlines, with
micropulses RF synchronized, micropulse for corresponding
micropulse. Repeating this process in the second stage of the SSDL
results in the desired number of parallel beams (e.g., four) at the
SSDL output. The micropulses in all the parallel beamlines (e.g.,
four) are RF synchronized, micropulses to corresponding
micropulses. In the embodiment treated here, the delay in, and
therefore the length of, the second phase of the SSDL is twice as
long as in the first. The magnets that switch selected Slugs into
the SSDL are moderately fast, by virtue of the enlongated gaps
between Slugs that results from Snugging. The resultant
configuration of four parallel beamlines is carried throughout the
following processes, until focused onto the fusion fuel pellet;
[0238] 21. Microbunch structure is maintained by Phase Focusing
naturally in the Main Linac, Snugger, and Telescoper linac
structure. In other portions of the beamlines where the beams do
not experience the electric fields of RF acceleration, the
microbunch structure is maintained by periodic Bunch Reflectors
(Double Rotators). In standard practice, the typical use of single
Rotation minimizes the momentum spread while maximizing the time
dimension of a microbunch. Double Rotation, which accomplishes
Reflection of the longitudinal phase space ellipse in the time
axis, facilitates maintenance of the microbunch structure over long
transport distances by resetting the orientation of the ellipse
such that a longer distance will be traveled before shearing of the
phase-space ellipse in the longitudinal plane requires the next
application of Rotation/Reflection;
[0239] 22. Helical Delay Line 2800 (HDL, a.k.a. Isotope-Isotope
Delay Line) removes specified, high fractions from the time gaps
between Slugs (e.g., Slug centers move from 2.5 .mu.sec apart to
300 nsec apart);
[0240] 23. Helical Delay Line 2800 (a.k.a. Isotope-Isotope Delay
Line) function has the flexibility to remove a variable amount of
the time gaps, as required by Multiple Chambers;
[0241] 24. Microbunch identity continues to be maintained by Phase
Focusing in the HDL by periodic Bunch Reflectors/Double Rotators.
For large differences of the ion (and microbunch) velocity, in
particular where velocities are used for the Compression Pulse and
the Fast Ignition Pulse that are widely different, each of the
parallel beamlines in the HDL is bifurcated before entrance to each
Bunch Reflector and recombined into a common beamline just after
exiting the Reflector;
[0242] 25. Slicking is accomplished in the sections of the beamline
that are specific to one of the multiple reaction chambers.
Slicking again provides differential microbunch speeds between
successive microbunches at a specified distance upstream from each
fusion chamber. The amount of differential speed imparted to the
microbunches of each Slug is set to cause the microbunches to
interpenetrate to form the desired contribution to the pulse
structure of all isotopic Slugs at the fusion target. The distance
from the Slicker to the Chamber and Target is approximately the
same for each of the Multiple Chambers; and
[0243] 26. The beam Wobbler (ref. Golubev), FIG. 16, was conceived
to create a hollow beam for the Compression Pulse to heat an
annular portion of the cylinder containing the fuel, FIG. 17.
[0244] 27. Conventionally, the Wobbler's RF field is programmed to
cause the annulus heated by the spiraling Compression Pulse (the
absorber layer) to follow the imploding radius of the layer of the
cylinder's barrel that works to compress the fuel (the "pusher"
layer) (Ref Basko. FIG. 18). This improves the efficaciousness of a
given amount of beam energy to drive the implosion. The extent of
this improvement is limited, however, because the size of the spot
(e.g., 1-3 mm) results in heating material that is more remote from
the absorber-pusher interface as well as the desired material close
to the interface.
[0245] 28. The innovations that reduce the spot size (e.g., 50
.mu.m) amplify the benefits of following the absorber-pusher
interface by causing the beam energy to be deposited more at the
most desirable radius and, therefore, to not continue to deposit
heat in material that is more remote from the interface, and
therefore less effective in contributing to the implosion
dynamics.
[0246] 29. In the prior art, the motion of the absorber-pusher
interface inward results in expansion of the absorber material.
This results in reducing the density of the absorber material with
concomitant reduction of its stopping power, which in turn results
in wasting some of some the energy of the ion beam by allowing the
affected beam ions to carry some energy beyond the far end of the
target.
[0247] 30. The loss of efficiency by rarefication of the absorber
layer is avoided by heating the thinner annulus (e.g., 100 .mu.m
with the e.g., 50 .mu.m radius spot) near the absorber-pusher
interface. Thereby, the beam ions encounter target material that
has had the least time to expand as the beam heats the thin annulus
just outside the interface while the interface moves inward.
[0248] 31. Fast Ignition is accomplished after the fuel has reached
peak high density, e.g., 100 g/cc. In the prior art (Ref. Basko.
FIG. 19), fuel compression is accomplished by the action of the
Compression Pulse alone, and the range of the ions used for Fast
Ignition is the same as that of the ions used for Compression.
These ions penetrate farther into the pre-compressed fuel than
needed to bring to ignition temperature only the amount of fuel
needed to initiate a propagating fusion burn.
[0249] 32. The innovation of applying the principle of telescoping
beams (multiple ion species) allows using ions with shorter range
for the Fast Ignition pulse as compared to the range of the ions
for the Compression pulse.
[0250] 33. Because the prior art for cylindrical pellets with Fast
Ignition using ions with the same range for Fast Ignition and for
Compression results in heating a larger mass of pre-compressed fuel
than needed for Fast Ignition, the Fast Ignition beam must carry
more total energy by the same factor. By the same token, the prior
art requires the Fast Ignition beam to have higher power than
required by the fundamentals of Fast Ignition because the Fast
Ignition energy must be deposited in the same amount of time
regardless of penetration depth.
[0251] 34. The basic design requirement for Telescoping is that all
ions have the same magnetic rigidity, which is proportional to
.beta..gamma.A/q (b=v/c, c=speed of light, A=atomic mass number,
and q=ionic charge number). Because the most favorable charge state
is singly charged (due to space charge limits in beam transport and
ion source design), it is most likely that all ions will be in the
same, singly charged state. When the same charge state is used for
the different isotopes, the result is that heavier isotopes will
have less energy.
[0252] 35. In addition, any of the high-energy beam ions (for
Compression or the shorter range ions) will be fully stripped to a
charge number equal to the atomic number Z (i.e., q=Z) by
interaction with the target material.
[0253] 36. Both the lower energy and higher Z of the heavier ions
contribute to shortening the range of the ions in the Fast Ignition
pulse as compared to the ions in the Compression Pulse. For
example, using xenon (Xe) for the Compression Pulse and lead (Pb)
for the Fast Ignition Pulse, the Telescoping condition is met with
.about.13.5 GeV Pb for the Fast Ignition Pulse and 20 GeV Xe for
the Compression Pulse. The resulting difference in range is about a
factor of seven.
[0254] 37. The factor of e.g., about seven reduction in range
reduces the required beam power by this same factor of seven.
[0255] 38. The range of the Fast Ignition ions may be adjusted,
with corresponding adjustment of the range of the Compression ions,
to optimize the parameters of the ion beam to achieve greatest
efficiency of the overall use of beam energy to achieve compression
and ignition with propagating burn.
[0256] 39. The benefits of using shorter-range ions, i.e., the part
of the overall driver pulse for which Fast Ignition is the first
purpose, may be exploited most thoroughly by making the duration of
the shorter range pulse longer than needed for the Fast Ignition
function alone. For simplicity of presentation, therefore, the
terms "Fast Ignition pulse" and "shorter-range pulse" may be used
interchangeably, particularly for description of effects other than
the principal one of Fast Ignition.
[0257] 40. The dynamics of the end caps may be optimized by heating
them using parts of the longer duration beam of shorter range ions
(aka Fast Ignition). By temporal modulation of the amplitude of the
Wobbler's RF field, these parts of the beam may be caused to hit
the target off-axis, and the spot-on-target may be caused to spiral
toward the axis as used in the prior art for the Compression pulse
(FIG. 18). The spiraling may also combine moving away from the
axis, if useful.
[0258] 41. The additional advantages accruing from the duration of
the shorter-range beam being longer than the Fast Ignition time
generally involve overlapping the first-arriving portions of the
Fast Ignition pulse with the later-arriving portions of the
Compression pulse.
[0259] 42. By appropriate shaping and timing of the Wobbler's
waveform and, therefore, od the Wobble of the beam at the target
(i.e., the radial distance of the wobbling (revolving or swirling)
beam spot from the axis of the target), the various portions of the
Fast Ignition pulse before those designated for Fast Ignition per
se may be used to tailor cylinder-end dynamics.
[0260] 43. One such effect would include generating pressure in the
end-cap material to resist bulging or blowing out. (FIG. 20)
Because the Fast Ignition isotopes penetrate much less material,
the end closure of the cylindrical target needed to stop them will
be accordingly thinner than the cylinder barrel is long, and the
intensity of heating this material will be commensurately higher
for a given beam power, modulo the area of the end caps that is
being heated. The pressure generated will resist the pressure from
inside the cylinder that would drive the ends outward.
[0261] 44. In addition to resisting bulging or blowing out, the
high pressure generated in the material of the end caps provides a
means to drive the end caps inward. This may be used to combine
motion of the end caps toward the mid-plane of the target, along
the target's axis, with the basic radial compression of the
cylinder barrel that is driven by the longer-range ions of the
Compression Pulse.
[0262] 45. Curvature of the end caps together with appropriate
wobble of the target spot may effect motion, driven by the energy
deposited by the short-range ions, which approaches hemispherical
implosion at each end of the target. (FIG. 21). The resulting
convergence of the end caps is coordinated with the cylindrical
convergence of the body of the cylinder.
[0263] 46. The general goal of this combination, and other design
uses of shorter range and longer range ions, is to optimize the
overall dynamics of the target implosion, to achieve the desired
density of the fuel mass at the location designated for Fast
Ignition with the least effort (least energy content and power)
from the ion beams.
[0264] 47. Because of the telescoping of the isotopes that comprise
the beams with shorter-range (for Fast Ignition and additional
purposes), the time scale of the beams at the Wobbler is
beneficially longer than the timescale of the Wobble of the beam
spot on the target. The longer timescale for modulating the
Wobbler's makes the desired modulation of the waveform of the
Wobbler field technically feasible.
[0265] 48. Another use of the overall duration of the Fast Ignition
pulse being longer than needed for Fast Ignition alone concerns
fuel or target material that will have blown outward along the axis
during the compression phase. By timing the arrival of portions of
the Fast Ignition pulse that are not wobbled to arrive on the axis
(and near the axis) before of the designated time for heating the
Fast Ignition fuel mass, the short range beam will burn through
material that has blown-out along the axis. (FIG. 22) Blow-off that
is fuel will, in general this material will be at lower density
than required for fast ignition, and the Fast Ignition beam will
need to burn through this blow-off to reach the desired Fast
Ignition mass.
[0266] 49. The processes for burning through the blow-off are
generally by heating, which increases the internal pressure and the
thermal speed of the material. Higher pressure will cause the
material to expand, decreasing its density and thereby decreasing
the deleterious, premature slowing that robs energy from the Fast
Ignition beam. Higher thermal speed will accelerate movement of the
material out of the way of the Fast Ignition pulse.
[0267] 50. On the axis, the blow off will be primarily fusion fuel
escaping through the hole provided to admit the Fast Ignition beam.
Therefore, besides the direct heating of the blow-off material, the
burn-away/burn-through on axis will be aided by fusion reactions
resulting from the Fast Ignition beam heating the blown-off fuel.
Although the density of the blown-out fuel will be below that
needed to ignite propagating burn, the additional heating from the
fusion reactions that occur will contribute to driving the blow-off
out of the path of the Fast Ignition beam, allowing it to penetrate
to the high density fuel designated for Fast Ignition.
[0268] 51. The various advantages of using ions with significantly
different stopping distances (ranges) in the target involve
appropriate timing of the RF field in the Wobbler. Slower (and
heavier) isotopic species will pass through the Wobbler before the
faster (and lighter) species.
[0269] 52. The largest difference in speed will be between the
isotopes in the Compression Pulse and the isotopes of the Fast
Ignition Pulse. For example, the speeds of 20 GeV xenon ions and
13.5 GeV differ by .about.30%. For this much difference in speed,
the Wobbler may be located at a position upstream from the target
where the time gap between the slower Fast Ignition pulse and the
faster Compression pulse allows the entire Fast Ignition pulse to
exit the Wobbler before the RF fields of the Wobbler begin to
rise.
[0270] 53. The part of the shorter range beam that heats the fuel
mass designed for Fast Ignition is the last to arrive at the target
on the axis and will therefore not be Wobbled. This may be
accomplished by designating either the first part or the last part
of the pulse of short-range isotopes as the Fast Ignition part.
Selection of one versus the other end (slowest or fastest) of the
slow isotopes may be beneficial for optimizing overall driver
design.
[0271] 54. The slowest isotopes will be first through the Wobbler,
but the higher speed of the last isotopes may be used to achieve
reversal of the order of the isotopes during transit between the
Wobbler and the target. This would be accomplished by making the
transit distance sufficiently long for the faster isotopes to pass
through the slower isotopes as all isotopes are traversing this
distance.
[0272] 55. If the first part of the Fast Ignition pulse is
designated for heating the fuel mass for Fast Ignition, the
Wobbler's field will be off when this first part passes through
it.
[0273] 56. If it is beneficial to designate the last part of the
shorter range ion beams to heat the Fast Ignition fuel mass, the
distance from the Wobbler to the target will be sufficient to allow
the last isotopes to become the first to arrive at the target. In
this case, the Wobbler field is off when the last part of the Fast
Ignition pulse passes through it.
[0274] 57. The spot of the beam on the target may move radially
inward or outward according to the programming to achieve a radial
"rastering" effect, if desired for smoothing the irradiation
intensity or for any other purpose beneficial to optimizing the
overall driver design.
[0275] 58. Also to improve the smoothness and symmetry of heating
the end caps, the beam emittance may be purposely made larger for
the portion of the short range (FI) pulse that is used to heat the
end caps. By this means, the area that is irradiated at any moment
by this beam will be larger than the small spot desired for fast
ignition, e.g., 50 .mu.m, without changing the settings of the
elements of the final focusing system on the beam's necessary
nanosecond time scale. The larger spot size would add smoothness
and symmetry to the heating, which will help suppress the growth of
instabilities during the implosion of the end caps.
[0276] 59. The desired variation of the emittance may be generated
at the driver's Front Ends by appropriately designing the
extraction electrodes for selected ones of the ion sources for the
multiple isotopes.
[0277] 60. If a larger emittance is used for some part or parts of
the beam, it will facilitate achieving high power in the beams by:
1. The scaling of the achievable, space-charge limited
(Child-Langmuir law) current from ion sources, and 2. The scaling
of the space-charge-limited maximum transportable, beam current
(e.g., Maschke, 1976).
[0278] 61. The beam emittance of the parts of the shorter range
beam that arrive at the end caps of the target at progressively
later times will be progressively smaller, to focus most
efficiently on the decreasing radius of the imploding end-caps.
[0279] 62. During the period just previous to Fast Ignition, when
the main function of the shorter range beam is to burn through the
blow-off, the beam emittance will be the smallest value, i.e., that
required by the small radius of the cylindrical volume containing
the fuel mass for Fast Ignition.
[0280] 63. Emittance changes will be in steps, corresponding to
designing different isotopic ion sources according to the part of
the shorter range beam that will be provided by these particular
sources.
[0281] 64. The feature of varying the emittance and thereby the
spot size may also be used for the Compression pulse, if this would
add any performance advantage for the dynamics of the implosion of
the cylindrical barrel.
[0282] 65. Additional detail may be added to the programming of the
Wobbler field to cause the shorter range ions to impact that target
at varying radial distance from the axis as may provide additional
benefits for the overall compression and ignition processes.
[0283] In general, through the effects described in the foregoing,
the programming of the wobble of the different parts of the Fast
Ignition pulse, in combination with the telescoping of the
different isotopes that make up the overall Fast Ignition pulse, is
designed to achieve the most efficient and effective use of beam
energy and power for the fuel compression and ignition
processes.
Description and Operation of New Current Multiplication Processes
Beam Parameters at Linac Output
[0284] The parameters that characterize acceleration in the linac
follow the prior art, proven by operating machines and established
by designs using standard, industrial design tools. Total linac
output current is increased by using multiple, parallel,
RF-synchonized output beams, e.g., four. Linac output further is
increased at the Front End via the well-known scaling of
space-charge limited current with (.beta.y).sup.5/3 (.beta.=c=speed
of light, and .gamma. is the relativistic parameter), using
established ion source and high DC voltage technology as
demonstrated by the Argonne National Laboratory 1977-1980 using a
1.5 MV Dynamitron.RTM..
[0285] The new arrangement of current multiplying processes makes
strong use of accelerating multiple isotopes. The effect of using
Multiple Isotopes, alternatively known as "Telescoping Beams", can
be appreciated by adding another multiplicative factor to the
previously existing line-up of processes. However, ramifications of
the present approach to exploiting beam telescoping lead to
distinctly different types of current multiplier processes than
those identified in Equation 1. Occurring in the driver system
"downstream" (after) the linear accelerator, and under the
constraints of the 6-D phase space of each species of beam particle
as previously discussed, the different beam restructuring, beam
compaction/intensification/overall current-amplification also
favorably affect the ultimate focusing on the fusion target,
reducing it by a factor .gtoreq.10.
New Features after the Main, Fixed Beta-Profile Linac
[0286] As shown in the diagram 2300 of FIG. 23, Snugging imparts a
differential velocity between successive microbunches. Snugging is
accomplished by offsetting the RF frequency of the Snugger from the
bunch frequency (the rate at which microbunches pass a point on
their path) such that the first bunch is decelerated most and the
last bunch is accelerated the most.
[0287] FIG. 24 provides a detailed diagram 2400 depicting the
processes of snugging 2401 and snug-stopping 2402. FIG. 25 provides
an alternate diagram 2500 illustrating differential acceleration by
offset RF frequency.
[0288] The microbunches inside each Slug are virtually identical at
the input to the Snugger, which imparts a progressive speed
differential amounting to, for example, .+-.5% to .+-.10%, to the
first and last microbunches relative to the unchanged speed of the
center bunch. When Snugging has reached practical technological
limits, e.g., clearance between the beam and the surface of the
beam tube or electrode, the Snugging process is reversed and the
speed differential is removed in the Snug Stopper.
[0289] As shown in FIG. 25, the amount of frequency offset is the
quotient of (1) the maximum phase shift specified to be experienced
between the first and last microbunches and (2) the duration of the
Slug. For illustration, taking the Slug to be 1 microsecond long
and the total phase shift to be 60 degrees (1/6 of an RF cycle),
the frequency shift will be 1/6 MHz. Taking the RF frequency of
this Snugger section to be 1 GHz (e.g., an accelerating cell length
of 12 cm for a v=0.4c ion), the phase control accuracy requirement
is about 0.016% or better.
[0290] Both differential acceleration and differential deceleration
result from the Snugger's RF field being offset slightly from the
bunch frequency. To add differential velocity to the last half and
subtract velocity differentially from the first half, the Snugger
RF frequency is higher than the bunch frequency at a given point on
the beam path. To remove the differential velocity in the Snug
Stopper, the RF frequency is lower than the bunch frequency at that
point in the beam path.
[0291] The Snug Stopper is shorter than the Snugger because its RF
frequency is higher, e.g., 10.times., and the higher RF frequency
structures support an accelerating voltage gradient that is higher
as approximately defined by the Kilpatrick limit. For the example
of 10.times. Snugging with equal increase in RF frequency, the
gradient of the Snug Stopper is about three-times higher than in
the first section of the Snugger.
[0292] As shown in the diagram 2600 of FIG. 26, Slugs are caused to
contract axially inside the Snugger, e.g., by 10.times.. Entering
the Snugger, the distance from the center of one Slug to the center
of the adjacent Slug is the length of a Slug plus an inter-slug
space originally set by the Master Timing. For example, Slugs that
are 2.5 .mu.sec long at the Snugger entrance will be 0.25 .mu.sec
long at the Snugger exit.
[0293] The empty space that grows between the Slugs in Snugging
will be subsequently removed via the Helical Delay Line 2800
(isotope-isotope delay), as described in sections treating the HDL,
and other elements downstream from the Snugger.
[0294] No net power is added to a Slug by Snugging. Excitation of
the accelerator structure is the primary power requirement.
However, beam energy flows to the RF fields during deceleration,
allowing corresponding reduction of the RF feed power. For the
microbunches that are accelerated, the RF feed power is increased
correspondingly to supply the acceleration energy. A modest part of
the shifting energy might be recycled, e.g., from the decelerated
bunches to the accelerated bunches, by RF system design
refinements. In sum, however, the energy consumed by the Snugger
including the excitation "copper loss" will be a small fraction,
e.g., 1-5%, of the energy consumed by the primary linear
accelerator.
[0295] The efficiency of using the provided RF accelerating field
strength gains when ions experience the amplitude near the peak of
the sine wave. In opposition to this argument for using a large
excursion of phase angles is the desirability of a linear
progression of the differential acceleration of successive
microbunches. For illustration, nearly linear progressive increased
acceleration/deceleration would restrict the phase width to .+-.30
degrees. A larger phase shift will decrease the peak RF voltage
and/or the length of the Snugger accelerator. The Snugging uses the
rising side of the sine wave, which provides the phase stability
effect (phase focusing) that maintains the longitudinal emittance
of the microbunch.
[0296] By insertion of RF cavities at harmonics of the basic
Snugger frequency, a virtual RF wave may be synthesized with an
effectively larger phase width to drive the Snugging action.
[0297] Cradling also may be incorporated into the control of the RF
waveforms to increase the usable phase width in Snuggers and
Slickers. The Cradling effect shifts the RF sine waveform to
compensate for the curvature of the sine wave as the differential
speeds increase in the microbunches as the Slug passes through a
Snugger, or to a much lesser extent in the Slicker. Control of the
waveform for Cradling is integrated with parameters from detailed
design and modeling. Cradling increases the efficiency of the
Snugger and Slicker accelerators, primarily to reduce cost,
although the power used by these components is a small fraction of
the total required to run the Driver.
[0298] When the Snugging action reaches a technical limit or
otherwise desirable stopping point, the Snug Stopper removes the
differential energy spread by reversing the differential
acceleration process. A primary technical consideration is the
existence of high power RF sources at the frequencies of the
Stopper. Another primary design restriction is the diameter of the
bore tube, which decreases with increasing RF frequency. For
illustration, starting the Snug with a 400 MHz RF and stopping the
Snug with 4 GHz RF will shorten the Slug by a factor of ten, and
transmission through a bore diameter on the order of 2 cm.
Snugger Accelerator and RF Accelerator Structures, Frequencies, and
Bandwidths
[0299] Snug
[0300] Microbunches enter the Snugger at the bunch frequency
emitted by the previous linac section. The bunch frequency may be
the same as the RF frequency in that section, or an even
sub-harmonic, e.g., one-half the RF frequency. The RF frequency of
successive sub-sections of the Snugger increase to maintain
efficient use of the RF waveform (e.g., .gtoreq..+-.30 degrees of
phase) as the microbunches move closer together. The highest bunch
and RF frequency will occur in the Snug Stopper, during the process
of removing the bunch-bunch speed differences. The highest RF
frequency will be set by considerations such as beam scraping on
the apertures, e.g., approximately 2 GHZ to 4 GHz.
[0301] Control of the timing and waveform of the Snugger's RF field
provides the sequence of synchronized RF frequencies, which
progressively increases in blocks of accelerator sections, to
accommodate Slugs with progressively higher nominal speeds and,
therefore, higher bunch frequencies. The required RF bandwidths
correlate with the range of the speeds of the various Isotopic
Species.
[0302] One design-optimization trade-off concerns the number of
different RF frequencies used. For any given frequency, individual
microbunches move toward the zero crossing point of the RF
waveform, and experience a smaller fraction of the peak
accelerating (or decelerating) voltage gradient. By increasing the
RF frequency of succeeding Snugger sections, the voltage gradient
experienced by the first and last microbunches can be periodically
reset to the original phase angle. Thus, the utility of many
frequencies is to achieve more efficient use of a length of Snugger
and the RF power that drives it.
[0303] The state of the art of accelerator structure and RF power
design and manufacturing makes it practical and economical to use a
substantial number of discrete frequencies. However, the
multiplicity of frequency changes will experience diminishing
returns, and the number of frequency changes used is a topic
appropriate for trade-off studies during detailed design.
[0304] Control of the waveform for Cradling is integrated with
parameters from detailed design and modeling.
Snug Stopping
[0305] Snug Stopping removes the velocity differential when the
process has reached the practical limit set by the diameter of the
bore-tube that the beam must pass through. Beam scraping is to be
avoided, and simulations of particle beams are challenged to model
beam "halo", however it is noted that the high quality beams will
be focused to millimeter and submillimeter diameters downstream,
albeit by lenses with large aperture magnets. The workhorse S-band
structure of SLAC's 2-mile linac is an appropriate illustration.
The structure's bore is about 2 centimeters, which seems ample for
clean passage of the heavy ion beam.
[0306] Microbunches progressively compress axially to fit similarly
on RF waves with decreasing RF periods. The momentum spread within
microbunches increases proportionally. This larger momentum spread,
however, after the microbunches are released from phase focusing
after the Slicker (at a later point on the beam path, and
potentially after the RF Chromatic Corrector just after the
Slicker), they shear in longitudinal phase space, the phase space
ellipses stretch in the time dimension, and their instantaneous
momentum spread shrinks. This behavior is exploited in the beam
compaction effect of the Slicker, as discussed elsewhere
herein.
[0307] Telescoper
[0308] The multiplicity of isotopes is distinctively greater than
the prior art. The internally consistent, end-to-end design is
predicated on using many isotopes, e.g., ten. When an Isotope
reaches the Common Rigidity, that Slug is switched into a
Telescoping Beamline, i.e., a beamline in which Slugs get closer
together as they move downstream toward the fusion target in one of
the multiple chambers. Heavier isotopes are switched out of the
Telescoper first. The isotopic masses of the multiple isotopes
range approximately .+-.5%, subject to the bandwidth limitations of
downstream RF beam handling processes.
[0309] Timing features of the beam pulse structure are provided by
generating a specified RF waveform that applies to all operations
needed to generate each Ignitor Pulse. Included is the differences
needed to accommodate the different overall distance from the ion
sources to the fusion fuel targets in one or another of the
Multiple Chambers, arriving according to a specified sequence that
provides the desired Ignitor Pulse power profile. Gated emission of
the various Isotopes from their respective is coordinated with the
master RF waveform.
New Features after Acceleration
[0310] For illustration, at the linac output, each of four active
beam tubes emits 1.25 A.
[0311] Merge
[0312] The multiple beams exiting the linac are merged in the
transverse phase space (the 4-dimensional phase space including
both planes). This amplifies the current in a single beam by the
number of incoming beams (i.e., beams emitted from the linac),
e.g., four. Merging of four beams into one beam may be effected in
a two-step process: (1) Merge the four beams two at a time, in one
of the planes of transverse phase space, to result in two
downstream beams, and (2) Merge these two beams into one using the
other plane of the transverse phase space. Beams may be merged with
economical use of phase (small emittance dilution), by merging at a
beam focus.
[0313] Because storage rings are not used in the SPRFD, and
therefore the emittance will not be increased by multi-turn
injection into storage rings, the Merge (including dilution factor)
is the last process that necessarily increases the transverse
emittance of the beam after its exit from the linear accelerator,
of which the Telescoper is the last section.
[0314] The transverse emittance after the merge leaves a factor of
approximately ten to spare in each transverse plane. That is, if
transport over the remaining beamline were perfect, i.e., no
emittance growth, the radius of the spot on the target would be ten
times smaller than the 50 .mu.m needed for Fast Ignition. An
appropriate apportionment of this factor of ten is to assign a
factor of three to the accumulation of emittance growth as an
unspecified contributions from the expected imperfections,
misalignments, tolerances in the precision of RF fields, and the
precision of magnetic fields optimized versus cost. The remaining
approximately factor of three to spare in the transverse emittance
is kept as a factor of safety.
[0315] This introduces substantial improvement in the tightness of
focusing of the beams on fusion targets compared to the prior art.
Although the maximum peak target heating needed for Fast Ignition
is the top priority, and overall improvements in the efficiency and
effectiveness by additional uses of the tighter focus are a second
major benefit of the reduced beam emittance, an alternative use
with cost and chamber design benefits would be to give relief to
the parameters of the final magnetic lens system. As a general
guideline for a final design, maximizing beam parameters to
minimize risk is prioritized over exploiting potential costs
savings. This rule follows the logic of the first thermonuclear
explosive that the design should be "as conservative as possible"
(Teller and Garwin). Using design innovations to achieve cost
savings will be applied for design refinements during the build-out
phase of the fusion power supply system for the economy.
[0316] Slug-Slug Delay Line (A.k.a. Loop Stacking)
[0317] The Slug-Slug Delay Line is the complement of the Merge. It
completes the affordable trade of available transverse phase space
for a needed reduction in longitudinal phase space.
[0318] Slug-Slug Delay sorts successive sections of beam (Slugs)
into parallel beamlines. The microbunches in parallel beamlines are
in synchronism, as needed to maintain correlation for RF structures
with multiple bores for the parallel beams.
[0319] The following illustrates a case of Slug-Slug Delay. The
structure of the beam emitted by the accelerator is specified with
each Slug subdivided into four Sub-Slugs, which are separated by
time gaps that are adequate for the rise-time of switch magnets.
The first Sub-Slug is switched into a beam line that completes a
revolution to return the Sub-Slug to the vicinity of the input
switch, after which it is in a separate beamline that is parallel
to the beamline that carries the unswitched following Slug. These
two parallel beams are switched into a second loop with twice the
circumference of the first. After one orbit around this loop, these
two parallel beamlines proceed in parallel to the two beamlines
carrying the following unswitched pair of Slugs.
[0320] Beam amplification has been accomplished by investing a
portion of the availability of investable room in transverse phase
space that is due primarily to the absence of multi-turn injection
into storage rings. The longitudinal phase space is unchanged in
principle, and growth by dilution will be determined by the
precision of the RF fields that maintain the microbunch structure
as the beams travel to the target.
[0321] The total instantaneous current of the multiple propagating
Slugs has been increased four-fold by the Merge, and the empty
space between Slugs has been increased four-fold. The enlarged
space represents culmination of the beam manipulations that
rearrange the various smaller time gaps into one continuous gap
between isotopic Slugs, which is removed in one large chop,
performed by the Isotope-Isotope Delay Line (aka Helical Delay Line
2800, or HDL) and the following reinsertion of the sequence
comprising all isotopic Slugs into a single set of four parallel
beamlines.
[0322] The multiple beam configuration (e.g., four) established at
the output of the Slug-Slug Delay continues to the fusion fuel
target. The eight Slugs going into the Slug-Slug Delay come out as
two sets of Slugs in the four parallel beamlines. One set of four
Slugs is routed to each end of the cylindrical target.
[0323] The choice for the location of the Slug-Slug Delay from a
number of possible positions along the beamline depends on the
technology trade-offs associated with propagating a single beam
(viz. after Merging the multiple beams from the linac) or as
multiple parallel beams (viz. as created by the Slug-Slug Delay,
aka Loop Stacking). This consideration is relevant to the beam
configuration input to the Helical Delay Line. FIG. 27 shows a
diagram 2700 of the relative length and spacings of slugs, using
three species for illustration.
Isotope-Isotope Delay Line (Aka Helical Delay Line, HDL)
[0324] Shown in the diagram 2800 of FIG. 28, the effect of the
Helical Delay Line 2801 is to chop out a preponderance of the space
between centers of successive Slugs. This achieves a major
reduction in overall beam duration, which was made possible by
rearranging various gaps into a single large gap between Slugs in
the series of beam manipulations previously described, e.g.,
Snugging moves the multiple small gaps between microbunches inside
individual Slugs to the gap between Slugs.
[0325] After the isotopic Slugs are reinserted in common beamlines
(e.g., four), the gap remaining between the trailing end of one
Slug and the leading end of the next, likewise the time between
Slug centers, is intentionally variable. This is to accommodate the
different amounts of telescoping that will occur during transit
over the different remaining distances to the Multiple
Chambers.
[0326] The length of each coil (orbit length) 2803 of the HDL is of
the order of the distance between the centers of successive Slugs.
However, timing of the magnets 2804 for switching individual Slugs
out of the HDL accommodates any Slug spacing greater than the time
of the orbit around the circumference of one coil of the HDL. The
first Slug in a Slug Train traverses the full length of the Helical
Delay Line before its exit point. Successive Slugs of progressively
faster ions exit the HDL sequentially, after traversing
progressively fewer turns of the HDL. The exits 2805 for the
various Slugs are approximately at the same azimuthal point on the
HDL 2801.
[0327] Large fractions of the inter-Slug gaps, including the
enlargement of the gaps due to Snugging and the Isotope-Isotope
Delay Line, are removed when the Slugs exiting the HDL are switched
back into the common beamlines that continue to the Chambers.
[0328] After output from the HDL, the space now between Slugs,
after reinsertion as inline Slugs in the parallel beamlines (e.g.,
four) that will terminate at the mouth of the Final Focus lenses
(e.g., four), is specified by the downstream timing requirements
for ignition in one of the Multiple Chambers. The Slug-Slug space
remaining accommodates subsequent beam manipulations and beam
dynamics, particularly those manipulations that operate on
individual microbunches within individual Slugs. Examples are
Slicking, and potentially RF Chromatic Correction to counter the
contribution of the Slick Kicks, by exploitation of their
inter-correlation, to chromatic aberration at the spot-on-target
focus. Microbunch properties (emittances) are maintained by
periodic Reflection of the ellipse of the longitudinal emittance,
or distributed phase focusing up to the Slicker's output, or
potentially the output of the RF Chromatic Corrector. RF
maintenance maintains the longitudinal microbunch structure within
Slugs.
Slug's Exit Delay Line
[0329] The spacing of the microbunches within each Slug is static
from the Snug Stopper downstream to the Slicker that is in the
portion of the beamline specific to one or another of the Multiple
Chambers. The freezing of the microbunch spacing uses the Snug
Stopper to remove the speed difference between microbunches and
uses Bunch Maintenance (Reflectors) at intervals along the beamline
up to the Slicker. Freezing the microbunch spacing in this way
accommodates: [0330] Different lengths of the paths of different
Slugs through the HDL and [0331] Different lengths from the HDL to
the Multiple Chambers.
[0332] Locating the Snug Stopper upstream from the HDL 2801 removes
the relatively large energy spread from microbunch to microbunch
that was input for the Snug process. This allows the
Isotope-Isotope Delay Line (HDL) to transport beam with only the
small momentum spread inside individual microbunches.
Microbunch Maintenance
[0333] Maintaining the microbunch structure and preserving the
6-dimensional phase space of individual bunches is an overall
hallmark feature of the new Driver design.
[0334] Beam Drift and Conditioning for Multiple Chambers:
[0335] HIF fusion power is most economical if a single heavy ion
driver system ignites fusion pulses in a repeating sequence in
multiple fusion chambers. In the most general layouts of
multi-chamber fusion power parks, the distance from the accelerator
varies from chamber to chamber.
[0336] Telescoping and Snugging are the key dynamic beam generation
processes. Telescoping first is grossly programmed (bracketed) via
appropriate differences in the timing of emission from Multiple
Isotopic ion sources to culminate at Multiple Chambers. The precise
timing within the timing brackets is provided by RF waveform
control. Absolute timing of the arrival of a Slug at the target
thus is extended to a small fraction of the RF period of the lowest
frequency RF accelerator. For example, control to 0.01% of the 100
nsec period of a 10 MHz Marquee Linac would give 0.01 nsec control
of the Ignitor Pulse Profile. However, this timing is further
refined by the beam handling at the highest RF frequency, about 2
GHz. RF phase control to 0.01% of the 0.5 nsec period at 2 GHz
translates to timing control to 5 psec. Passing this level of
control along the beamline translates to tightly regulating the
beam's speed. This translates to tight regulation of the time of
arrival of all pieces of the beam at the target for near
simultaneity or pulse profile shaping as desired.
[0337] Slick
[0338] The Snug Stopper permits microbunches within a Slug to
maintain their relative positions as a Slug traverses the distance
to one of the Chambers. At a specific location on the beamline
before the target Chamber, the differential motion of the
microbunches is restarted by the Slick process, which is similar to
the RF process for Snugging, differing only in that after the Slick
kicks imparts the differential speeds, the microbunches are
released from phase focusing and the Slick process is not
terminated and allowed to continue to the target.
[0339] At specified distances upstream from each of the Multiple
Chambers, Slicking imparts specified, smaller velocity
differentials back into microbunches of the various Slugs. After
the Slicker, the microbunches are released from the axial length
constraint of phase focusing. FIG. 29 illustrates the Slicking
process 2900. As the Slicked beam drifts toward the target chamber,
the centers of the microbunches get closer together and individual
microbunches lengthen as a result of the velocity spread intrinsic
in the longitudinal phase space. Space charge forces also stretch
the microbunches, and tend to distort the ends of the longitudinal
phase space ellipses such that the emittance, or momentum spread,
that effectively must be focused tends to increase. This space
charge effect is mainly operative during the initial period before
consecutive microbunches start to feel the counteracting space
charge of each other.
[0340] Conserving the longitudinal phase space area, the
microbunches stretch in time and narrow in instantaneous momentum
spread as the various Slugs proceed, and eventually Telescope into
the desired beam power profile at the fusion target. RF Chromatic
Correction may remove part or all of the contribution to chromatic
aberration due to the Slick kicks, but the required size of the
spot-on-target budgets allowable chromatic aberration that will be
met without taking advantage of this possibility.
[0341] The differential speeds imparted to the microbunches by the
Slick kicks are initially specified so that all microbunches arrive
at the target simultaneously, or with a desired spacing. Any
effects of space charge to alter the inter-bunch speed differential
may be compensated in part by corresponding modulation of the
accelerating voltage of the Slicker. Space charge effects and
errors in RF waveforms of the bunch maintenance and the Slick will
be responsible for any growth of the longitudinal emittance.
[0342] The effective minimum, total momentum spread 3000 is
illustrated in FIG. 30 for the general case. The potential minimum
Slug length is seen by inspection to be the sum of the
instantaneous momentum spreads of the stack of Slicked microbunches
plus the difference of momentum between the front and the back of
one microbunch. This effective minimum momentum spread (illustrated
in FIG. 31) is well below the requirements for acceptable chromatic
aberration at the target. FIG. 32 provides a diagram 3200
illustrating an optimal slicker effect.
[0343] Ignitor Pulses are switched from a Trunk Beam Line into
beamlines that terminate in (are specific to) the individual
Chambers. Each of these terminal sections of beamline, two per
chamber, requires an individual Slicker. Slick imparts much smaller
differential speeds than Snug (<0.5% vs. 5%) and the total of
Slickers for all Chambers is a relatively small part of the
system's cost.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Illustration of Slick as scaled from prior
art HDIIF linac HIF linac HIF Snug HIF Slick 10 GeV Bi + 20 GeV Xe
+ 20 GeV Xe + 20 GeV Xe + 200 MHz 400 MHz 4000 MHz @4000 MHz
@target 5 nsec 2.5 nsec 0.25 nsec 0.25 nsec 20 nsec 1.2e-4 1.2e-4
1.2e-3 1.2e-3 1.2e-3 1.5 nsec .75 nsec .075 nsec n/a 9e-6
q_.mu.bunch_peak q_.mu.bunch q_.mu.bunch n/a 1000 I_peak I_peak n/a
9e-3 .075 nsec 10 nsec q_.mu.bunch I_Peak Snugmore
Wobbler
[0344] The primary purpose of the RF Wobbler is to swirl the beam
spot rapidly around a circular spot on the end of an annular
stopping region in the cylindrical target. Wobbling/Swirling at
.gtoreq.1 GHz serves purposes of: 1. Smooth energy deposition
density in the target, and 2. Smooth variation of the trace of the
spot while varying the amount of wobble to cause the beam spot to
spiral toward (or away from) the target's axis.
[0345] The RF Wobbler is located upstream of the final focusing
lenses, where the beam diameter is small in correspondence with the
high-frequency Wobbler's aperture. Where Isotopic Species that have
a large percentage speed difference are used, particularly for the
sequential processes of Compression and Fast Ignition, the block of
Slugs for Compression must experience the Wobbler effect (for the
spot to illuminate an annular shape), while the Wobbler effect must
be off when the portion of the beam for Fast Ignition passes
through, so the Fast Ignition pulse will arrive at the center of
the target.
[0346] A number of beneficial effects accrue from using slower ions
for the Fast Ignition Pulse compared to the speed of the ions of
the Compression Pulse. For Cylindrical Targets in particular, the
peak power required for Fast Ignition decreases approximately
linearly with the ion range. The range of energy deposition
shortens with higher Z (atomic number) and lower kinetic energy.
The sensitivity of design optimization to the choice of ions is not
great, and choices of the relative mass of the Fast Ignition and
Compression ions are driven by the practical consideration of
immediate availability of the hardware, i.e., known and readily
made ion source technology.
[0347] For illustration, volumetric plasma xenon sources is
commercial technology (ANL used this technology in key current and
brightness demonstrations 1976-80.) Using xenon at Z=53 for the
Compression Pulse, a number of heavier ions are good candidates. If
lead is used for the FI ions, and 20 GeV is the nominal energy of
the multiple xenon isotopes for the Compression Pulse, the
Telescoping Condition requires the energy of the lead isotopes to
be in a range near 13 GeV. The shortening of the range in the
pre-compressed fuel, of this example, is a factor of
6.times.-7.times.. The volume of the FI heated mass of
pre-compressed fuel may be made to be approximately the minimum
(spherical) physical volume, containing the minimum mass to be
FI-heated. Quantitatively, the reduced FI Pulse peak power
requirement that results from the more optimum depth of the Fast
Ignition-heated zone is a major reason for confidence in the
operability of the new Driver (SPRFD) design. Coordinated
optimization of the parameters for the Fast Ignition and
Compression Pulses will achieve significant cost avoidance.
[0348] For illustration, the spot size required for the Ignitor
Pulse Beams is found from the propagating burn parameter, rhoR, for
example 0.5 g/cm{circumflex over ( )}2 (a conservative value). For
fuel pre-compressed to 100 g/cm{circumflex over ( )}3 (a relatively
safe requirement), the radius of the FI-heated spot diameter needs
to be at least 50 .mu.m. Larger spots require more peak ignitor
beam power and energy. Smaller spots require more compression, and
higher beam brightness.
[0349] The FI spot requirement is approximately a factor of ten
tighter than for the Compression Pulse, as has been shown by
reliable simulations. Prior HIF art held the Compression spot to be
achievable, but hard to improve on. The use of the expanded volume
in 6-D phase space provided by using a multiplicity of isotopes,
particularly avoiding the emittance increase due to multi-turn
injection into storage rings, achieves the desired improvements,
and makes the advantages of Fast Ignition safely within reach of
the technology.
[0350] The large difference in speeds between the Compression and
Fast Ignition pulses illustrates the substantial time gap between
them at the Wobbler. This gap illustrates the satisfactory
timescale of the Wobbler's rise time, as illustrated in FIG. 33.
The bandwidth for modulating the Wobbler field is indicated by
reference to the rise time.
[0351] The rise time of the RF Wobbler field is of importance
regarding separate pulses for Compression and Fast Ignition (FI).
Wobbling enables heating an annulus along the axial direction. But
the beam energy for Fast Ignition per se needs to be delivered on
axis, with two considerations: (1) If the total cross-sectional
area of the pre-compressed fuel is larger than the minimum set by
the propagating burn parameter, the Fast Ignition beam may be
correspondingly off-axis, (2) If, economically, the power of the
Fast Ignition pulse may be greater than the optimized minimum, the
Fast Ignition pulse may have a larger spot area than the minimum,
which may be off-axis and still cover the optimal minimum area of
the end of the mass of precom pressed fuel to be fast ignited.
Target Improvements
[0352] Compared to the prior art, the new current multiplying
processes result in improvement of the beam parameters that define
the intensity of target heating and the target response. Higher
total beam energy, reduced spot sizes will increase power
deposition density and drive targets providing higher energy gain
from the fusion reactions. Power deposition density in the target
will increase in proportion to the square of the spot diameter.
Ignition calculations for fuel target design are planned to exploit
these improvements.
[0353] Heat deposition uniformity is important for good target
performance. Wobbling Telescoping Species smoothes the heat
deposition by displacing the instantaneous spots hit by different
Species. Due to their different speeds, ions at corresponding
points along the different Slugs pass through the Wobbler at some
distance upstream from the target (e.g., 30 meters) at different
phases of the Wobbler RF field, and ions at different axial
positions along a Slug penetrate the heated annulus at different
azimuthal points.
[0354] During the passage of a Slug through a cylindrical target, a
Wobbled beam flies forward with the fixed shape of a helical coil
spring. The thickness of the coils is the diameter of the beam
spot. During passage of this helical shape through the target, the
instantaneous heating at each point in the cylindrical annulus
corresponds to the helical shape of the heat source. Heating of the
entire annulus is not instantaneously uniform. The time-averaged
heating smoothes out over passage of the whole Slug.
[0355] With Telescoping, the helical-spring shape of different
Slugs in the target is rotated relative to each other, around the
common axis. For illustration, if the SlugTrain timing is specified
for all Slugs to arrive at the target simultaneously (or with
another specified timing, such as to provide a desirable Ignitor
Pulse Power Profile), the tips of the different beam helices enter
the annulus being heated at different azimuthal locations. The
interspersed helical Slugs of the Multiple Isotopes fit into the
helical spaces (the helical pitch minus spot diameter), netting a
smoothing factor improvement equal to the number of Multiple
Isotopes. Different Slugs may be timed for different overlapping
arrangements.
[0356] The stretching of individual microbunches by the Slicker
adds a further smoothing effect. The ions in a given microbunch
differ in speed by, e.g., 0.1%. This results in ions that
experience the Wobbler fields at the same time arriving at the
target at different times. The effect is to flatten the cross
section of the instantaneous beam.
[0357] Important improvements in target performance accrue from the
smaller spot size by causing the spot of the Compression beam to
follow the decreasing radius of the interface between the absorber
layer and the pusher. Fast Ignition is accomplished with less
(e.g., 1/7) as much beam energy and power in the Fast Ignition (FI)
beams by using shorter-range, heavier isotopes for the Fast
Ignition pulse than for the Compression Pulse. The shorter-range
beam may provide additional advantages by increasing the duration
of the shorter-range relative to the time for Fast Ignition per se,
while maintaining the same power level, by driving the cylindrical
end-caps to facilitate fuel compression and by burning through
material blown off during Compression to reach through this
material and heat the fuel mass to be Fast Ignited.
Advantages of New Design
[0358] First single-pass HIF driver to use conventional accelerator
technology; [0359] Makes strong use of multi-species for
telescoping beams at fusion target; [0360] Eliminates storage
rings, removing difficult/expensive technical issue; [0361] Loosens
requirement for beam emittance of individual ion sources; and
[0362] Reduces aggregate total solid angle of igniter beam
input-port apertures in the walls of the fusion chambers.
New Technical Features
[0362] [0363] Multiple fusion chambers with one robust
accelerator/ignitor (2-10 BOE per fusion pulse); [0364] sacrificial
lithium fuel-charge sabot, neutron moderator, T-breeder, ultra-high
temperature hot working fluid; [0365] Lithium droplets and fog
sprays muffle blast; [0366] Lithium droplets and fog sprays create
ultra-fast, inter-pulse, fusion chamber vacuum pump; [0367] Pulsed,
very high-flow rate lithium pump (from .about.2 tons up to 10 s of
tons per second in earliest chambers) [0368] Multi-ion species
source hotel; [0369] Micro-bunch snugging system preserves RF
temporal structure and timing of ion beam; [0370] Delay Line
reconfigures intra-isotope beam structure to reduce momentum spread
for focusing on target; [0371] Helical, serial-species delay and
re-timing line; [0372] Fewer beamlines and final focus lenses into
fusion chambers; [0373] Heat transferred at very high temperature
by lithium vapor to heat exchanger inputs, and not transferred
through the chamber walls, so that chamber structural materials
operate at the low temperature of the lithium returning from heat
exchangers, e.g., a minimal temperature above (e.g., 25.degree. C.)
the melting temperature of lithium (185.degree. C.) and [0374] The
potential for direct conversion of fusion energy carried by both
charged particles and neutrons.
Improvements Concerning the Overall System Performance and Cost
Include:
[0374] [0375] Improved ignitor pulse focusing properties (by
exploiting 6-D phase space of multiple species); [0376] More
intense target heating, with classical "Bohr" ion stopping in
matter that typifies HIF using RF drivers; [0377] More uniform
target heating; [0378] Ten times more ignitor pulse energy than the
National Ignition Facility; [0379] Fast Ignition (FI) with FI ion
species chosen to maximize ignition vigor; [0380] Timing for
Multiple Fusion Power Chambers; [0381] Driver duty factor in Pulsed
RF range; and [0382] Relieved vacuum requirements.
[0383] The new beam processes do not call for multi-turn injection
into storage rings. This avoids areas of prior technical concern,
significant design effort, and major hardware demonstrations of
issues peculiar to storage rings. Removing these concerns shortens
the schedule for HIF by removing the need for a time-consuming
validation project, necessitating hardware with size, capabilities,
and costs similar to those of the storage rings and linac that
would be used in a power producing system.
Comparison
[0384] The new processes may be expressed in terms of a line-up of
beam multiplication processes.
I.sub.target=I.sub.source.times.N.sub.isotopes.times.N.sub.sources.times-
.N.sub.snug.times.N.sub.slick.times.N.sub.sides
For illustration, treating either Compression or FI pulse.
Compression parameters shown in Table 2, herein below
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 I.sub.source xenon with 1.5 MV
Preaccelerator voltage =0.1 A N.sub.isotopes number of sources per
Source Hotel =10 N.sub.sources =number of beam channels in Source
=32 Hotels, Preaccelerators, and Marquees N.sub.snug =ratio of
microbunch spacing pre- and =10 post-Snug N.sub.slick =length of
Slug at Slicker / length of =12.5 Slugs at target N.sub.beams
=number of beams into chamber =8 I.sub.target =total beam on target
from all directions =128,000 A Total Power =I.sub.target .times.
Ion Energy (20 GeV) =6.4 PW
[0385] Increasing the total current out of the linac results in the
linac's RF power being on a relatively short time per ignition
pulse, e.g., 300 microseconds. Using ten pulses per second, e.g.,
to drive ten Multiple Chambers at one pulse per second each, the RF
duty factor is 0.003, safely inside the range classified as pulsed
RF power. The benefits of pulsed RF are higher peak power per
source and lower cost per peak-power Watt.
[0386] The new set of processes for compacting the current produced
by the linac minimizes the time the beam dwells in any section of
the beam tube, and achieves the important case of a single pass
system. Generating the pulse in a minimum of time increases the
required RF peak power, but reduces the RF duty factor below the
threshold of a fraction of 1%, where peak RF power costs
substantially less peak Watt than continuous RF power. For purposes
of illustration, Table 3 illustrates this cost consideration based
on engineering estimates scaled from state of the art HIF design
and costs in the current state of the art of RF power systems:
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Linac current Peak Ignitor Beam Ontime/ Rep
Duty Price/ Average Price/ total K.E/ion RFpower energy load pulse
rate factor W-peak power W_avg HIF 5 A 20 GeV 100 GW 20 MJ 0.9 300
.mu.s 10 pps 0.3% .015$/W 300 MW 30$/W HIDIF .4 A 10 Gev 4 GW 4 MJ
.6 1500 .mu.s 50 pps c.w. N/A 400 MW 30$/W
[0387] With 5 A at 20 GeV, the RF feeds 100 GW into the beam during
the pulse. The power to excite the accelerator is a factor of
several less than the beam power, but is not shown. With this
caveat, the illustration is instructive for consideration of the
economics of HIF power production.
[0388] The new design features exploit the large increase in the
total 6D phase space made available by the use of Multiple
Isotopes. The smallest area that can be illuminated at the surface
of the target and, therefore, the smallest volume into which the
beam energy can be deposited, is governed by the conservation law
of physics known as Liouville's Theorem. The essence of Driver
design is to work with the 6D phase space defined at the point of
origination of the entire number of beam ions, which total about 10
peta-particles, ten million billion, for each Ignitor Pulse.
[0389] HIF Driver designs in the prior art are considered stressed,
in terms of the capabilities of known technology.
Characteristically, the stress is expressible by pressure to
achieve the highest brightness of ion sources, to put the required
number of ions into a small enough volume of 6D phase space, so
that the processes that constitute Ignitor Pulse generation deliver
the beam parameters to the fuel target that ignition calls for.
[0390] Transverse emittance benefits the most, by avoiding the
large increase of emittance attendant on multi-turn injection into
storage rings, and limiting stacking in transverse phase space to a
factor of two in each transverse plane in the Merge. The factor,
e.g., 2.5.times. (including dilution), by which transverse
emittance grows in each plane, as a result of Merging multiple
beams emitted by the Linac, is the only one of the series of beam
conditioning processes that employs the transverse (4D) phase
space.
[0391] Smaller transverse emittance enables achievement of smaller
beam spots on the target, which increases heating intensity as the
inverse of the diameter squared. For illustration, a spot diameter
five times smaller will increase the intensity twenty five times.
Preservation of the microbunch structure and integrity in phase
space offers, in principle, to deliver the smallest emittances to
the target promised by a heavy ion fusion driver with beam
parameters that are very conservative (significant margin of
safety).
[0392] The Snug and Slick effects capitalize on microbunch
maintenance to conserve longitudinal phase space by systematically
moving inter-bunch spaces to the adjacent inter-Slug spaces, which
subsequently are largely removed (according to pulse timing
specifications) by the Helical Delay Line. This process compacts
the beam without damaging the longitudinal emittance, resulting in
lower chromatic aberration at the target.
[0393] Generation of Ignitor Pulses by a single pass through the
system relaxes the vacuum requirements. This avoids cost and adds
safety margin to the design. The new beam processes do not call for
multi-turn injection into storage rings. This avoids areas of prior
technical concern, significant design effort, and major hardware
demonstrations of issues peculiar to storage rings. Removing these
concerns shortens the schedule for HIF by removing the need for a
time-consuming validation project, necessitating hardware with
size, capabilities, and costs similar to those of the storage rings
and linac that would be used in a power producing system.
[0394] For an illustrative comparison to the prior art, the new
Driver concept combines 5-10.times. higher total Ignitor Pulse
energy (or more); as high or higher total Ignitor Pulse power;
smaller spot sizes on targets able to achieve Fast Ignition and
improve overall implosion efficiency and effectiveness; appropriate
pulse power shaping at the target; Fast Ignition that is
optimizable by choice of Ion Species for the Slugs in the Fast
Ignition Pulse; and beneficial treatments of the dynamics of the
end caps of cylindrical targets (preventing the end caps from
blowing out and causing them to implode, and assisting the Fast
Ignition pulse to burn through extraneous material along the target
axis), by extending the on-time of the shorter range ions used for
Fast Ignition.
[0395] The raised confidence in reliable fusion ignition and burn
carries over to all of the alternative applications of achieving
massive quantities of fusion reactions, including: commensurately
stronger confidence in the less-demanding production of commercial
power that accrues by multiplying the fusion energy output by
driving sub-critical fission piles; using the output of fusion
neutrons to destroy high-level and/or long lived radioactive
wastes, including integration of waste destruction with additional
power from fission reactions; and extremely higher fluxes of
neutrons in beams for various purposes.
[0396] In the foregoing specification, the invention has been
described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof.
It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes
may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and
scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The
specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.
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