H. AzechiDirectorInstitute of Laser EngineeringOsaka University

Fusion Power AssociatesWashington DC2009.12.2-3

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Laser Fusion in Japan:Combat with global warming

Haunting face crying a river of tears as glacier melts into the seaPhoto By Michael Norman

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Why Fusion?

•We need large size electric power plants without warming gas emission.

• The only solution at present is atomic power.

• But, nuclear waist problems (long life safety,

proliferation etc.) requires other power plants which emit non-warming gas and negligibly small amount of

nuclear waist.

• Fusion energy is the ultimate large energy source.

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Why Inertial Fusion

• After 50 years from the innovation of lasers, the community is ready to ignite a fusion fuel: the first

controlled fusion ignition in humankind.

•Once the ignition is achieved, the energy gain is increased simply by increasing the size of the core.

The burning proceeds no matter what the fuel size is.

• Physics of reactor core plasma will be completely explored and established in this phase. This is why

ignition and burn is so important.

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Why Fast Ignition?

• Since the fuel contains no central hot spark, the Fast Ignition can ignite with 1/10 of laser energy that is

necessary for conventional central ignition.

• This compactness strongly accelerates Inertial Fusion Energy development.

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Implosion Fast heating　 Ignition/Burn

•Proof-of-concept: Scalable to 600 times liquid density　　　　　 Demo of 1 keV temp. by 0.5kJ/0.5ps.

•FIREX-I: Demo of 5-10 keV temperature by 10kJ/10ps. •FIREX-II: Demo of significant burn

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Fast Ignition Realization Experiment (FIREX) Program for Inertial Fusion Energy

LFEX:10-kJ Short Pulse Laser 　

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Stretch

Amp

CompressionChirp Pulse Amp. • Large grating

Time

92 cm

575 nm

World Largest and Finest Grating

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91 cm

42 cm

Tiled Grating

First integrated FI experiment has just started.

First plasma on June 26th, ‘09

M3M6

M5 M4

Diamond compressor

Shadow of cone

Initial Shell

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X-ray image from cone side（Time integrated）

X-ray streak image（Time resolved）

Time (ns)

Space

500mm

Heating beam (LFEX) injection Heating time determination

FIREX-I Integrated Experiment

Emission by Heating Laser

Emission by implosion

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Neutron yield increases with heating laser injection

Strong pulse width dependence was found.It seems 5-keV heating is plausible.

Experiments by Oct 6, 2009

Pulse width =5 ps

1.2 ps

0.5 ps

0.1

1

10

10 100 1000 10 4

データ 091111(50,0.1)

イオン温度（keV）

追加熱レーザーエネルギー（Ｊ）

5 ps

1.2 ps

0.5 ps

Deduced ion temperature

Heating Laser Energy (J)Io

n Te

mpe

ratu

re (k

eV)

Near Term Schedule andFuture Plan

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FIREX-I Timetable

FY Laser Construction Milestones

2009 One-beam operation Repeat Nature exp’t

2010 Two-beam operation Surpass Nature exp’t

2011 Four-beam CD heating ( 5keV )

2012 Wavefront control Advanced targets CD heating ( >5keV )

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Goal of FIREX-I

Excess achievement

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!"#$%$

&! = 1053 nm

&4 beams

&50 kJ/10 ps

&F/5, 100 cm"

Proposed FIREX-II&!"#$%&'(

'(#$%$

&! = 351 nm

&92 beams&&

&50 kJ/3)ns

&F/8, 15 cm"

!32 beam

2017 2018 2011 2012 2013 20142009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

FIREX-I

LFEX

GEKKO XII

Nest Step 1: Ignition and Burn by Fast Ignition

→48 beam

Heating upto T ≈ 5keVFIREX-II

Ignition Q ≈ 5

NIF ignition

Atomic Energy Commission of Japan reported (Oct. 2005):“Based on its (FIREX-I) achievement, decide whether it should be advanced to the second-phase program aiming at the realization of ignition and burning”

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It’s time to bring a paradigm shift in inertial fusion.

• By the time of NIF ignition, it will have passed more than 20 years since the end of the Cold War.

•Global warming is becoming the serious problem.

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A flagship program is necessary to lift up inertial fusion community’s spirits.

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Implosion Laser100 kJ x1Hz =100 kW

Reaction chamber10 MWth

Heating Laser 100 kJx1Hz = 100 kW

Pellet Injector

Power Generator 4 MWe

Next Step 2: Laboratory Inertial Fusion Test LIFT

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Implosion Laser

100 kJ x1Hz =100 kW

Reaction chamber

10 MWth

Heating Laser

100 kJx1Hz = 100 kW

Pellet Injector

Power Generator 4 MWe

IFEForum

Committee of Inertial Fusion Energy

Development

International Laboratory Inertial Fusion Test

IFE ForumTomabechi Committee i-LIFT can generate net electricity of 2 MWe!

A landmark of fusion energy development !21

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Implosion Laser100 kJ x1Hz =100 kW

Reaction chamber10 MWth

Heating Laser 100 kJx1Hz = 100 kW

Pellet Injector

Power Generator 4 MWe

International Laboratory Inertial Fusion Test: i-LIFT

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Implosion Laser

100 kJ x1Hz =100 kW

Reaction chamber

10 MWth

Heating Laser

100 kJx1Hz = 100 kW

Pellet Injector

Power Generator 4 MWe

IFEForum

Committee of Inertial Fusion Energy

Development

International Laboratory Inertial Fusion Test

IFE ForumTomabechi Committee i-LIFT can generate net electricity of 2 MWe!

A landmark of fusion energy development !21

核融合原型炉

Experimental reactor i-LIFT integrates all physics and engineering activities.

◆ Power generation demonstration 　Judge: DEMO Const.

▲ Commercial demonstration

Demonstration PlantDEMO

200kJ/1Hz

Eng.Design

ConceptDesign

Eng. Design

i-LIFT is Laser based Fast Track. 09/11/7

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Implosion Laser

100 kJ x1Hz =100 kW

Reaction chamber

10 MWth

Heating Laser

100 kJx1Hz = 100 kW

Pellet Injector

Power Generator 4 MWe

IFEForum

Committee of Inertial Fusion Energy

Development

International Laboratory Inertial Fusion Test

IFE Forum

NIF (US)

FIREX-I (Jpn), EP

▲ Ignition

10 15 4025 30 35 20

1-month operation

Power plant technology, ESE issues

Fusion chamber, Blanket

Target fab., Injection, Tracking

Driver development

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Reactor technology Elements

Advanced reactor technology

Reactor Core Plasma Physics

10 J/1Hz

◆ Ignition

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1 kJ/1Hz x 10

◆Ignition TempJudge: FIREX-II & Eng. Design

FIREX-II ▲ Fast Ignition

1.2 MJ/4Hz1 Reaction Chamber

SGIV (China)LMJ (France) ▲ Ignition

1J/1Hz

10min BurstSingle shot

Blanket test

Experimental ReactorLIFT

Integrated Engineering

Test

Continuity Endurance

◆ Repeated core plasma Judge: LIFT Const.

1.2 MJ/16 Hz4 Reaction Chamber

Commercial Plant

Construction：2-3 B$

Construction：3-4 B$

Reactor Lasers

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Pumping: from Flash Lamps to Laser Diodes

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８０万円→数万円

Laser absorption lines and Pumping Source spectra

Flash Lamps

フラッシュランプ

Laser Diodes

Laser Diode Pumping opens the possible high-rep high efficient lasers

Most energy goes into heat Emission line can coincident with absorption line

100 W/bar Present 3$/W→Goal 0.1$/W

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Laser medium: from glasses to ceramic crystal

18mm

60mm

60mm

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Laser glasses Cooled Ceramic Crystal

Several 100s increase of thermal conductivity enables 100 Hz rep rate, much higher than reactor requirement.

・Glass→Large optics・Glass→Very low thermal conductivity

・Crystal→High thermal cond.・Ceramic→Large optics

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Summary

•After 50 years journey, the IFE community is ready for ignition at NIF.

•Compactness of fast ignition will accelerate inertial fusion energy development.

• IFE physic and engineering programs would converge onto an experimental reactor, i-LIFT, that will lift up people’s spirits.

ILE/Osaka, as a National Joint Research Facility, strongly encourages national and international collaborations.

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