“BEAMS”43 pages
- p. 5 …Sketch of Two Opposite Limits of the Beam·Maxwellian Equilibrium .. 38
Figure 4.5. The Definition…
- p. 6 …Comparison of Analytical and Numerical Estimates of Q-Values in a
Beam-Dominated Solution -- for a…
- p. 8 …shows the "Star
Mode" discharge where ion beams are created that pass through the grid openings…
- p. 9 …discussed later where the recirculating ions possess
beam-like trajectories passing through the center of the…
- p. 10 UNCLASSIFIED/ ;raA 8FFIIItliL ~81!! SHL'f
beam-like ions. Since electron energy loss processes such as…
- p. 11 …In addition, its beam-like reactions (highly non-Maxwellian)
make the IEC very well suited for…
- p. 13 …a beam created at the anode and accelerated by the applied cathode
voltage; a low-energy…
- p. 14 …Good convergence is required to achieve
optimal beam-beam reactivity scaling for the application that require…
- p. 15 …The observed
loss of convergence with decreasing pressure and increasing current makes achieving
significant beam-beam…
- p. 16 …For a power reactor the objective is to obtain ion
beam-beam collisions in this central…
- p. 17 …the "conventional" beam-like
one. A key issue for this concept is how much plasma compression…
- p. 19 …The
main beam observed is a direct path along the injector
angle. Other faint light channels…
- p. 21 …Note that six ion "guns" were used to create a low energy ion beam that entered…
- p. 22 UNCLASSIFIED/;SflHl 8FFIIItliL ~81!! 8HL'I'
was obtained from recirculation beam-beam reactions in a potential…
- p. 23 …The key physics point is
that the beam-beam fusion rate scales as the ion current…
- p. 26 …Scoping calculations of beam-background fusion rates predict that a 3 He- 3 He reaction
product…
- p. 27 …of the ion density squared
scaling for beam-beam reactions.
REFERENCES
2.1 R. L. Hirsch…
- p. 28 …As such, the beam convergence (compression) is
limited to lower values, hence lower core densities (an…
- p. 30 …by
the intersection of the multiple ion beams, serves to deflect ions into the escaping jet…
- p. 31 …The result is the
formation of the intense space charge neutralized ion beam (or "plasma jet…
- p. 32 …in the
symmetric microchannels into a directed beam or jet.
Comparison to a Conventional "Plasma" Thruster…
- p. 33 …The ion beams finally exit through an opening in the ground sphere of the IEC device…
- p. 35 …These devices operate with ~ 80- keV D-ion beams using the non-Maxwellian
character of the…
- p. 36 …Two ion sources inject
40-keV deuterium and helium-3 ion beams toward the center of…
- p. 37 …Indeed in this case fusion is dominated by beam-beam (non-
Maxwellian reactions). Also, the dipole…
- p. 38 …the center potential and consequently allow incoming
beam ions to penetrate into the core region. In…
- p. 39 …Comparison of Analytical and Numerical Estimates of Q-values in
a beam-Dominated Solution -- for a…
- p. 40 …Hora, "Converging Beam Neutron Source for
Driving a Sub-critical Fission Reactor", Proceedings, ICONE 8, CD…
- p. 41 …Namely, the time scale for
collisional degradation of the beam-like ion distribution function is crucial…
- p. 42 …For example, a tightly focused monoenergetic ion beam is in
fact a pessimistic scenario, because different…
- p. 44 …Thus, weak sinks and strong sources will result in a
large beam population, increasing the beam…
- p. 45 …Sketch of Two Opposite Limits of the Beam-Maxwellian Equilibrium. The solid line
corresponds to a…
- p. 46 …injected beam current, average injection energy, energy spread associated
with the velocity component in both parallel…
- p. 47 …As stated in Section I, the current scaling
for beam-beam reactions is strictly 12. However…
- p. 48 …is very encouraging for formation of deep wells
in IEC devices designed for reactors using beam…
- p. 49 …To do this, it is
assumed that the electrostatic confinement equilibrium ion beams are proportional to…
- p. 50 …When an ion beam is hot, the waves excited by the instability are ion acoustic
type…
- p. 51 …Rider was particularly interested in the claim that due to its beam-like non-
Maxwellian plasma…
- p. 52 …Diagram Showing Equipotential
Surfaces of the IEC Cathode Grid and Their
Focusing Effect on a Beam…
- p. 59 …of detectors, the detector configuration, the collimated
beam size, the acquisition time, and other scan-related…
- p. 63 …Alternately, for space
propulsion, the proton beam, augmented by injection of heavy atoms to increase the…
- p. 68 …Due to its inherent non-Maxwellian (beam-like)
plasma, the IEC is especially well suited for…
- p. 70 …This configuration is highly
non-Maxwellian due to the beam
dominated nature of the trapped ions…
UNCLASSIFIED/ /f81il 8PPll!ltllt ti.JI! Gilt I
valuable fuels, especially the 3He. The ion thrusters run on Argon propellant at a
specific impulse of 35,000 sec and an efficiency of 90 percent. The thrust is produced
4370 Newtons, probably an initial acceleration of .0087 m/s2 . A typical trip time for an
out-and-back mission to Jupiter is 210 days out and 153 days to return. This is
comparable to or faster than that predicted in prior fusion studies.
T
'
The initial spaceship mass at mission is 500 metric tons start; 222 metric tons are the
Argon propellant needed for a Jupiter round trip with t:N of 220 km/s. The IEC reactor,
direct energy converters and ion thrusters contribute 178 metric tons. The remaining
100 metric tons includes 20 metric tons for the crew areas, 15 metric tons for the
electronics/computers, 20 metric tons for food and life support, 15 tons for crew
shielding and 1.2 metric tons for the antenna. Inclusion of a contingency of 30 percent
of the dry mass adds 60 metric tons and provides a 30-day "safety factor" to the round
trip flight time.
Human factors have not been fully evaluated in this design, but are thought to be
acceptable with the short mission time achieved. Fusion Ship II would be one of the
largest propelled vehicles ever built, although its mass would be ¼ that of the Space
Shuttle at liltoff.
Table 5.2 compares IEC Fusion Ship I and II designs with a concept based on an
"advanced" spherical Tokamak reactor "scaled up" from the spherical Tokamak
experiment at Princeton's Plasma Physics Laboratory as reported in an NASA-GLENN
Laboratory study in 2001. The Tokamak has a shorter trip time by employing a power
level that is six times the IEC units. Further, it is designed for D-T use (D- 3 He is difficult
to burn in such Tokomaks), but tritium handling, radiation damage, and radioactivity
issues are not addressed. Thus, if the IEC and Tokamak were compared on the same
operational basis (i.e., same fuels and power levels), the IEC would clearly show a
distinct advantage. Note that this is even true with the Tokamak using a very
"advanced" conceptual design well beyond reach of ITER (originally International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) technology.
55
UNCLASSIFIED/ I f81il 8ffl&I.«1k WliEii SUlklf