The staged z-pinch as a potential high gain fusion energy source: An independent review, a negative conclusion

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5045123· OSTI ID:1483981

Lindemuth, Irvin R. ^[1]; Weis, Matthew R.  ^[2]; Atchison, Walter L. ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
2. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Previously published calculations predict that the “staged z-pinch” (SZP) can achieve 400 MJ of fusion yield on a Z-class machine. The SZP is touted to need no external preheat mechanism and no external pre-magnetization method. Instead, it is claimed that the imploding liner can adequately “shock preheat” the fuel and magnetic field diffusion through the liner can adequately magnetize the fuel. Here in this paper, we analyze a number of published SZP calculations and demonstrate that the calculations have major errors—the computer code used to do the calculations does not appear to be accurately solving the physical model it is intended to solve. A variety of independent analyses lead to this conclusion. This conclusion is confirmed by detailed one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) calculations conducted on different computer codes using a variety of proposed SZP operating parameters. Although using parameters similar or identical to the published calculations, our MHD calculations do not reach fusion conditions; there is no conceivable modification of the parameters that would lead to high-gain fusion conditions using these other codes. Our analyses and a review of the magnetized target parameter space leads to further conclusion that the SZP should not be considered to be a potential high-gain fusion source.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525
• OSTI ID: 1483981
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1478546
• Report Number(s): SAND-2018-12657J; 670032
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 10; ISSN 1070-664X
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY