Ignition of deuterium-tritium fuel targets

Patent · Tue Aug 27 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:7171191

Musinski, D L; Mruzek, M T

Disclosed is 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. 5 figures.

• Research Organization: KMS Fusion Inc
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-87DP10560
• Assignee: KMS Fusion, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
• Patent Number(s): A; US 5043131
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-451607
• OSTI ID: 7171191
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700411* -- Inertial Confinement Devices-- (1992-)
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CONFIGURATION
CONFINEMENT
DEUTERIUM
FUELS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
RADIOISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES
TARGETS
THERMONUCLEAR FUELS
THERMONUCLEAR IGNITION
TRITIUM
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES