Engineering PapersSearch

DOE OSTI · 3740908

Demonstrating dual current paths as a method to preheat and implode a magneto-inertial fusion target

Gomez, Matthew Robert [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000219677113)·Jennings, Christopher Ashley [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)]·Hatch, Maren Whiting [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000310205344)·Awe, Thomas James [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000214997986)·Weis, Matthew Robert [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000300615323)·Lowinske, Michael Christopher [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000900085135610X)·Benney, David Joseph [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)]·Crabtree, Jerry Allen [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)]·Hanson, Joseph C [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)]·Johnson, Drew [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)]·Muro, Edward Nicolas [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)]·Perea, Lawrence [External Affiliation]·Preston, Thaddeus Emeka Nickol [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000900006296433X)·Pyles, Conor [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0009000685339135)·Robertson, Grafton Kincannon [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)]·Slutz, Stephen Avery [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000150360969)·York, Adam [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)]·Harvey-Thompson, Adam James [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000346076310)·Shulenburger, Luke Nathan [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000000027165084X)·Ampleford, David [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000237422421)·Peterson, Kyle John [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000162024292)

Abstract

IFSA 2025 talk on dual current path experiments conducted on the Z facility

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Gomez, Matthew Robert [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000219677113), Jennings, Christopher Ashley [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)], Hatch, Maren Whiting [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000310205344), Awe, Thomas James [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000214997986), Weis, Matthew Robert [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000300615323), Lowinske, Michael Christopher [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000900085135610X), Benney, David Joseph [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)], Crabtree, Jerry Allen [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)], Hanson, Joseph C [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)], Johnson, Drew [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)], Muro, Edward Nicolas [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)], Perea, Lawrence [External Affiliation], Preston, Thaddeus Emeka Nickol [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000900006296433X), Pyles, Conor [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0009000685339135), Robertson, Grafton Kincannon [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)], Slutz, Stephen Avery [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000150360969), York, Adam [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)], Harvey-Thompson, Adam James [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000346076310), Shulenburger, Luke Nathan [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:000000027165084X), Ampleford, David [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000237422421), Peterson, Kyle John [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000162024292). 2025-09-01. Demonstrating dual current paths as a method to preheat and implode a magneto-inertial fusion target. https://doi.org/10.2172/3740908

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related reports

Staged Z-pinch experiment at the double-EAGLE pulsed power facility

The staged Z-pinch is a potential high-energy gain fusion concept where a high atomic number liner implodes on a deuterium target using a pulsed multi-MA current source. Over the past several years this concept has been studied on 0.5–1.0 MA facilities using Ar and Kr gas puffs injected at R = 1.2 cm. Neutron yield up to (2.5 ± 0.34) x 10 10 was measured, Ruskov et al (2023 IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 51 3310–6). Here, in this study, we present experimental results from the 4 MA, 110 ns current rise time Double-EAGLE facility at L3Harris (currently, Fisica Inc.) where a larger radius nozzle created gas density profiles peaked at R = 2.5 cm. Modeling with the MACH2 and FLASH codes indicates that the larger radius allows stronger acceleration of the liner plasma and generation of shock waves that preheat a target plasma layer next to the liner to temperatures $T_i >$1 keV. The resulting counter thermal pressure on the liner plasma limits the growth of the Magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor (MRT) instability at the liner-vacuum boundary and the implosion proceeds in a relatively stable manner. Near bang time the enormous target plasma thermal pressure smoothens the MRT perturbations developed during the earlier implosion stages. Time integrated x-ray pinhole images with cutoff energy of 100 eV confirm that a long (∼3 cm), stable and uniform high energy density plasma column is formed in the final implosion stage. Consistent neutron yield in the 10 10 –10 11 range was measured for both Ar and Kr liners imploding on a deuterium target.

Physics - Plasma physics

Robustness of inertial fusion energy relevant implosions to low-mode asymmetries

Inertial confinement fusion implosions for power production need to be robust. Degradation sources need to be understood and considered for an economic power plant. In this work, the impact of low-mode asymmetries on yield is studied using 2D radiation hydrodynamics simulations for inertial fusion energy relevant implosions. First, a high-gain indirectly driven capsule design is developed. This design is subsequently degraded with low-mode drive asymmetries. The results show that yield is constant with increasing amounts of asymmetry until a cliff is reached where the yield quickly drops below ignition. Robustness arises because the degraded hotspot still has enough time to get to ignition before capsule decompression. This robustness occurs even though the asymmetry couples less energy to the hotspot and causes decompression to occur sooner. The robustness is linked to the generalized Lawson parameter, χ⁠. The value of χ steadily decreases with increasing asymmetry. Once χ is close to one, the hotspot is no longer able to ignite before the capsule decompresses. A simple piston model is used to predict where the robustness cliff is for any design. The trade-off between yield and robustness is also demonstrated.

Physics - Plasma physics