G.E. Rochau, C. L. Olson, C. Morrow,
Sandia National Laboratories,
P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185-0748 USA
P. Pankuch,
EG&G Technical Services, Inc.
2450 Alamo Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 97106 USA
P. Peterson
University of California — Berkeley,
4155 Etcheverry Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-1730 USA
E. Mogahed, I. Golovkin, G. Kulcinski, R. Peterson, I. Sviatoslavsky, M. Sawan
University of Wisconsin, Fusion Technology Institute,
Madison, WI 73706 USA
The Z-Pinch Power Plant (ZP-3) is the first concept to use the results at Sandia National Laboratories' Z accelerator in a power plant application. Assuming high yield fusion pulses of 1 to 20 gigajoules per shot at a rate of 0.1 Hz, a unique shock and energy absorbing system is being considered to contain the energy. The concept under investigation answers the need for system standoff from the fusion reaction by utilizing a replaceable mechanical cartridge that is manufactured in an on-site factory. System studies are in progress on integrated blanket design for absorbing the fusion energy, cartridge manufacture of all the recycled materials, and cartridge installation/replacement to maintain a reasonable duty cycle. An effective system design for ZP-3 requires an integrated blanket that can shield the permanent structures from the high-energy neutron flux and the strong shock wave, breed tritium, and in the process absorb the released fusion energy. The generation of this energy requires a fusion fuel cartridge to couple the repetitive pulsed power to a replaceable load using a Recyclable Transmission Line (RTL). This paper will describe the operating principles of the containment chamber, which we call a crucible, and the containment mechanisms. An approach to installing the cartridge, maintaining driver protection, and the integrated blanket will be presented.
