DIRD_37-DIRD_Aneutronic_Fusion_Propulsion_II.pdf

UNCLASSIFIED / (POR *OPPCIAE US OneyY Defense Intelligence Reference Document Defense Futures O1 November 2010 ICOD: 20 July 2010 DIA-08-1011-004 Aneutronic Fusion Propulsion UNCLASSIFIED / / POR“ OFEREGEM=U6E-0 ine

UNCLASSIFIED / GQ 2. OS ELC Lil S bali eer (U) Aneutronic Fusion Propulsion The Defense Intelligence Reference Document provides nonsubstantive but authoritative reference information related to intelligence topics or methodologies. Prepared by: (6)\(3):10 USC 424 Defense Intelligence Agency Authors: (b)(6) COPYRIGHT WARNING: Further dissemination of the photographs in this publication is not authorized. This product is one of a series of advanced technology reports produced in FY 2010 under the Defense Intelligence Agency,|(b)(3}:10 USC 424 Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Applications AAWSA…

UNCLASSIFIED / F@R-9FF6R-U6E-6NE— Contents Chapter 1: Concept Overview ..ccccssccccensusscncececcsvavacacanavensnesseenssauctenenanensaseensnenecasanan Chapter 2: Fusion Plasma PHYSICS .......cscscsevssesconsesuseverceestsucusevevereveveveresusesesasavanezes O 2.1 Magnetic Confimement......cccccsceencnenenscenenccanansncnancuauevanauancuauenananesenduenessaas DD 2.2 Inertial Confinement ..........000. cousecesucncusecnsasevucacecusacusesesesesusesess veveveverer wud 2.3 Electrostatic Confinement ...csscsccensnaserecauenencnenanane we nenenensuenanan srevenenenenerenan & 2.4 Magneto-Inertial Co…

UNCLASSIFIED / POR SOPPICTAE USE ONE Chapter 8: Endnotes........ceccccnesecsecneneenenscccceccnencauneucuususuaecequaeseausesere nesvausesenenvaveeses OL Figures Figure 1. Fusion Reaction Cross Sections vS. Temperature .....ccccescesssecnenceseeeenenenes -4 Figure 2. Magnetic Mirror Confinement ........0.. aeauauenananens ne nasasanenensuans nevenerenenensnasaces O Figure 3. a) Tekamak and b) Stellarator Confinement.........ccse0000: cvevenas ccesteuseverevenss © Figure 4. Field-Reversed Configuration ......:. eee ue nape seuuneeeaneascueensaweseasenanssersesnsesseecense 2 Figure 5. TEC Fusor …

UNCLASSIFIED / EQ. OEELGrieoE-OhE Aneutronic Fusion Propulsion Summary Controlled fusion energy production has been under development for 60 years. The primary objective has been gaining the ability to create terrestrial power plants using deuterium and tritium as fuel. Unfortunately, this objective has been eluded for both technical and economic reasons. However, the threshold for achieving success in applying fusion to propulsion is considerably relaxed, especially if fuels are used that do not use tritium. Tritium has to be continuously bred; these reactions yield fast neutrons, which requi…

UNCLASSIFIED / / FO R-@FFEGHAi=G Ea Abie Chapter 1: Concept Overview Controlled thermonuclear fusion has been the aspiration for nuclear scientists and engineers for the last 60 years. During that time, tens of billions of dollars have been invested in this endeavor with the expected fruition being pushed even further into the future. When Lyman Spitzer invented the Stellarator in 1951, it was expected to take only 5 years of concentrated plasma physics experiments to harness the fusion of hydrogen ions confined by magnetic fields. However, the numerous new instabilities that arose under incre…

UNCLASSIFIED / £52. O.55L6LAbad SiGe e May have near-term applications to replace current satellite ion thrusters and extend application to interplanetary flight. » Requires extensive technology development for air and near-space applications. e« Will not be practical beyond the solar system unless breakthrough propulsion physics can assist the flight to the next stellar system, where fusion “ion thrusters” can then be used. Despite the attention propulsion has gotten fram the scientific community, the problem has been insufficiently addressed by the space science community. Although it is cer…

UNCLASSIFIED / / P@R-GPPfCERE Ss Ont Chapter 2: Fusion Plasma Physics At the most basic level, nuclear fusion occurs by forcing atomic nuclei close enough so that the attractive strong force (which binds nuclei together) overwhelms the very powerful electromagnetic repulsion force. Under such circumstances the nuclei fuse together to form a single nucleus, creating an atom of a different element (along with byproducts such as radiation and neutrons). Because the strong force dominates over such short-length scales (~10°'5 meter, the diameter of a medium-sized nucleus), the fusion of heavier nu…