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GA's Role in Inertial Fusion Technologies
General Atomics has been involved with support of the Inertial Fusion Technologies (IFT) program since 1975 when we began work on conceptual design of inertial fusion energy power plants. Our early work with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory led to the design of a laser-driven inertial fusion power plant called Cascade, based on aggressive science and technology assumptions, that showed inertial fusion could offer a power plant with attractive economics and outstanding environmental and safety characteristics. [1]
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In 1990, GA became the IFT Target Support contractor, providing the five US IFT laboratories with research, development, and fabrication support for inertial fusion targets -- the tiny hydrogen-filled spheres, or "capsules", and tiny cylindrical metal containers, or "hohlraums" and other micromachined components, that are the heart of IFT experiments. We provide this support for:
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ICF target being shot by the NOVA laser at Livermore
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The OMEGA laser's target chamber with cryogenic target insertion system
| GA also provides research, development, and fabrication of the engineering systems that will be needed for the filling, transport, and insertion of cryogenic targets for the next generation of ICF experiments. These experiments will require the hydrogen fuel to be frozen at 20K in order to achieve the high fuel densities after compression that are needed for ignition, burn, and high fusion energy gain. We are presently developing and building the cryogenic target handling system for the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
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| The next step in the US ICF Program is the construction of a large laser called the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This laser will heat and compress ICF targets to high enough density and temperature that thermonuclear ignition occurs and more energy will be released than was input to the target. GA is supporting Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in developing some of the technologies that will be needed for the NIF.
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The target chamber end of NIF1
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- ^ Pictures courtesy of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
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