X-ray Worldwide facilities
Nuclear_fusion [1]
Magnetic_confinement_fusion[2]
Inertial_confinement_fusion (ICF) [3]
Schematic of the stages of inertial confinement fusion using lasers. The blue arrows represent radiation; orange is blowoff; purple is inwardly transported thermal energy.
- Laser beams or laser-produced X-rays rapidly heat the surface of the fusion target, forming a surrounding plasma envelope.
- Fuel is compressed by the rocket-like blowoff of the hot surface material.
- During the final part of the capsule implosion, the fuel core reaches 20 times the density of lead and ignites at 100,000,000 ˚C.
- Thermonuclear burn spreads rapidly through the compressed fuel, yielding many times the input energy.
Worldwide Installations able to produce ICF
- National_Ignition_Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [4]
- Laser_Megajoule in Bordeaux, France [5]
- Z machine at the Sandia National Laboratories [6]
- 1996 Z machine: 18 MA 100ns
- 2006 ZR (Refurbished): 27MA 95ns
- planned ZN (Z Neutron): 20 and 30 MJ per short
- planned Z-IFE (Z-inertial fusion energy): 70MA 1 petawatt
- fact: As of 2012 Fusion shot simulations at 60 to 70 million amperes are showing a 100 to 1000 fold return on input energy
X/Z-Pinch Installation
- ANGARA-5-1 (Russia) [7] 4 MA, 90 ns
- MAGPIE, Imperial College, London 1.4 MA, 240 ns
- QiangGuang-1, 1 MA, 50 ns
- SATURN
- GEPOPU, Imperial College, London 180 kA, 120 ns
- PPG-1, Beijing, China 400 kA, 100 ns
- Light II-A, China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) 200 kA
Compact X-Pinch
- Table Top, Beijing, China 100 kA, 60 ns