Inertial Confinement Fusion with Direct Electric Generation by Magnetic Flux Compression

A high-power-density laser fusion reactor concept is investigated in which directed kinetic energy imparted to a large mass of liquid lithium—in which the fusion target is centrally located—is maximized. In turn, this kinetic energy is converted directly to electricity with, potentially, very high efficiency by work, done against a pulsed magnetic field applied exterior to the lithium. Because the concept maximizes the blanket thickness per unit volume of lithium, neutron-induced radioactivities in the reaction chamber wall can be many orders of magnitude less than is typical of D-T fusion reactor concepts.