Acceleration technology and power plant design for fast ignition heavy ion inertial fusion energy

Full text: This talk gives an update on the progress in Heavy Ion Beam IFE experimental and theoretical activities conducted under the auspices of the Ministry of Atomic Energy of Russian Federation under contract No. 6.25.19.19.03/996. The considerations of heavy ion fusion power plant concept are based on the fast ignition principle for fusion targets. The cylindrical target is irradiated subsequently by a hollow beam in compression phase and by powerful ignition beam for initiation of the burning phase. The ignition is provided by the high energy 100 GeV Pt ions of different masses accelerated in RF-linac. The efficiency of the driver is taken ∼25%. The main beam delivers ∼5 MJ energy and the ignition beam ∼0.4 MJ to the target. Cylindrical DT filled target provides ∼600 MJ fusion yield, of which 180 MJ appears in X-rays and ionized debris and 420 MJ in neutrons. The repetition rate is taken as 2 Hz per reactor chamber. The first wall of the reactor chamber employs 'liquid wall' approach, particularly the wetted porous design. The lithium-lead eutectic is used as a coolant, with initial surface temperature of 550 deg. C. Computation of neutronics results in blanket energy deposition with maximum density of the order of 10E8 J/m3. The heat conversion system consisting of three coolant loops provides the net efficiency of the power plant of ∼35%. The Heavy Ion IFE experimental program is focused on a major upgrade of the ITEP accelerator complex for acceleration and accumulation of high current beams - the TeraWatt Accumulator project (ITEP-TWAC). Commissioning of the whole acceleration/accumulation beam gymnastic scheme with stacking of ∼10E10 C6+ and fast extraction to the experimental area has been done in 2003. The ion bunch is being compressed from 1 mks to ∼ 170 ns and focused down to a spot ∼ 1 mm. Current experiment efforts are aiming at measurements of ionization degree, charge state distribution, conductivity, plasma pressure, ion and electron plasma temperatures, and density with temporal resolution on the order of 10-100 ns. (author)