Performance Requirements of an Inertial Fusion Energy Source for Hydrogen Production

Performance of an inertial fusion system for the production of hydrogen is compared to a tandem mirror system hydrogen producer. Both systems use the General Atomic sulfur-iodine hydrogen production cycle and produce no net electric power to the grid. An ICF-driven hydrogen producer will have higher system gains and lower electrical-consumption ratios than the design point for the tandem mirror system if the inertial fusion energy gain ηQ > 8.8. For the ICF system to have a higher hydrogen production rate per unit fusion power than the tandem mirror system requires that ηQ > 17. These can be achieved utilizing realistic laser and pellet performances.