San Diego, California, 17-19 June 2002

Progress in the Extension of Free-Standing Target Technologies Onto IFE Requirements

E.R.Koresheva, I.E.Osipov, I.V.Aleksandrova, S.V.Bazdenkov, V.I.Chtcherbakov, A.I.Nikitenko, S.M.Tolokonnikov, L.S.Yaguzinskiy¹,G.D.Baranov², A.I.Safronov², I.D.Timofeev², V.G.Kapralov³, B.V.Kuteev³

Lebedev Physical Institute of RAS, Moscow, Russia

¹Institute of Physicochemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

²Red Star State Enterprise, Moscow, Russia

³TUAP Ltd., State Technical University, St. Petersburg, Russia

koreshsci.lebedev.ru

The free-standing target (FST) technologies have been developed at the Lebedev Physical Institute (LPI) for 1 mm targets [1]. The next program was accepted at the LPI in 2000, which is aimed at further optimization and extension of the FST technologies onto the inertial fusion energy (IFE) requirements [2]. This report presents a summary of the investigations in the above area, including the following:

1. Target technology.

• Theoretical modeling of the FST technology for a reactor-scaled target fabrication. Proposals for the first layering experiments with a reactor target.

2. Target survival in IFE chamber environment.

• Experimental investigations on a cryogenic layer surface evolution due to the heating treatment (for different structure of the layer).

• Theoretical analysis of the protective cover and the target interaction with the IFE chamber environment.

3. Target acceleration & injection.

• A concept of the target injector based on a combined "Coil-and-Gas Gun" (CGG)

• An adequate sabot for target protection from the excess heat and the overloads arising during the injection process.

• Target and sabot assembly at a cryogenic temperature (operation in a repetitive mode).

4. The FST-layering module and injector integration.

• A facility based on the FST-layering module and the CGG-injector: design philosophy and physical layout.

The theoretical estimations and proposed designs have been performed for the "Nakai" reactor target [3] consisting of a 4-mm polystyrene shell (wall thickness of 45 microns) with 200-micron-thick solid fuel layer inside it. The reported results have been obtained by the LPI in a joint effort with the Red-Star State Enterprise (Moscow), Moscow State University and State Technical University of St. Petersburg.

[1] Aleksandrova I V, Koresheva E R, Osipov I E et al. Free-standing target technologies for ICF. Fusion Technol.38, No.1 p 166, 2000

[2] Aleksandrova I V, Chtcherbakov V I, Bazdenkov S V, Koresheva E R, Osipov I V. Extension of free-standing technologies on IFE requirements. Proceedings, 1^st IAEA RCM of the CRP on "Elements of Power Plant Design for Inertial Fusion Energy", May 21-24, 2001, Vienna, Austria; 2^nd International conference on Inertial Fusion Science and Applications, September 9-14, 2002, Kyoto, Japan

[3] S.Nakai et al., Physics of high power laser and matter interactions. Word Scientific Publishing (Singapore), p 87, 1992