Automated Target Production for Inertial Fusion Energy
Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 26 / Number 3P2 / November 1994 / Pages 873-880
Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor, Reactor Target, and Driver / Proceedings of the Eleventh Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy New Orleans, Louisiana June 19-23, 1994 / dx.doi.org/10.13182/FST94-A40264
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The ability to manufacture on the order of 108 targets per year in a completely automated target production facility to the required precision and at an acceptable cost is a key issue for inertial fusion energy (IFE). Based on our evaluation of alternative approaches to automated target fabrication, we conclude that a combination of controlled-mass microencapsulation for making polymer fuel capsules, electrostatic spraying of a polymer for building the ablation layer, a new injection fill process for DT fueling, beta-layering for fuel layer symmetrization, and precision casting of hohlraums and sabots would be attractive for mass production after appropriate technology development. We describe the characteristics of the proposed production processes and conclude that IFE targets can be made with acceptable cost.
