Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Inertial fusion energy development approaches for direct and indirect-drive

Conference ·
OSTI ID:390473
Consideration of different driver and target requirements for inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plants together with the potential energy gains of direct and indirect-drive targets leads to different optimal combinations of driver and target options for each type of target. In addition, different fusion chamber concepts are likely to be most compatible with these different driver and target combinations. For example, heavy-ion drivers appear to be well matched to indirect=drive targets with all-liquid-protected-wall chambers requiring two-sided illuminations, while diode-pumped, solid- state laser drivers are better matched to direct-drive targets with chambers using solid walls or flow-guiding structures to allow spherically symmetric illuminations. R&D on the critical issues of drivers, targets, and chambers for both direct and indirect-drive options should be pursued until the ultimate gain of either type of target for IFE is better understood.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI ID:
390473
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JC--123788; IAEA--F1-CN-64/GP-16; CONF-961005--8; ON: DE96050548
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English