Evaluation of a power plant concept for fast ignition heavy ion fusion

Abstract

The characteristics of a fast ignition heavy ion fusion (FIHIF) power plant are preliminarily evaluated. The reactor chamber consists of two sections: The upper smaller part is the microexplosion section proper; the lower bigger part is the condensation section, in which sprayed jets of coolant are injected. The first surface of the blanket is of generally accepted wetted porous design. The coolant is lithium-lead eutectic with an initial surface temperature of 820 K. The mass of the evaporated coolant just after the explosion is evaluated as 4 kg. Computation of neutronics results in blanket energy deposition with maximum density of the order of 108 J/m3 at the first wall. The heat conversion system consisting of three coolant loops provides a net efficiency of the FIHIF power plant of 0.37.