Debris shield survivability and lifetimes for NIF

The survivability and performance of the NIF debris shields on the National Ignition Facility are a key factor for the successful conduct and affordable operation of the facility. Estimates of debris shield lifetime in the presence of target emissions indicate severely shortened lifetimes. We have tested a new coating design that improves debris shield cleaning. A combination of modeling and continuous data collection on NIF is described/recommended to allow cost effective debris shield operation