Ignition of deuterium-trtium fuel targets

Patent · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:867951

Musinski, Donald L ^[1]; Mruzek, Michael T ^[2]

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1. Saline, MI
2. Britton, MI

A method of igniting a deuterium-tritium ICF fuel target to obtain fuel burn in which the fuel target initially includes a hollow spherical shell having a frozen layer of DT material at substantially uniform thickness and cryogenic temperature around the interior surface of the shell. The target is permitted to free-fall through a target chamber having walls heated by successive target ignitions, so that the target is uniformly heated during free-fall to at least partially melt the frozen fuel layer and form a liquid single-phase layer or a mixed liquid/solid bi-phase layer of substantially uniform thickness around the interior shell surface. The falling target is then illuminated from exteriorly of the chamber while the fuel layer is at substantially uniformly single or bi-phase so as to ignite the fuel layer and release energy therefrom.

• Research Organization: KMS Fusion Inc
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-87DP10560
• Assignee: KMS Fusion, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Patent Number(s): US 5043131
• OSTI ID: 867951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ignition
deuterium-trtium
fuel
targets
method
igniting
deuterium-tritium
icf
target
obtain
burn
initially
hollow
spherical
shell
frozen
layer
dt
material
substantially
uniform
thickness
cryogenic
temperature
interior
surface
permitted
free-fall
chamber
walls
heated
successive
ignitions
uniformly
partially
melt
form
liquid
single-phase
mixed
solid
bi-phase
falling
illuminated
exteriorly
single
ignite
release
energy
therefrom
spherical shell
frozen layer
mixed liquid
cryogenic temperature
substantially uniformly
uniform thickness
substantially uniform
interior surface
hollow spherical
shell surface
fuel target
fuel targets
uniformly heat
target chamber
frozen fuel
energy therefrom
/376/439/976/