AAWSAP DIRD, Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion, March 2010

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5.3
G. H. Miley, R. Stubbers, J. Webber, H. Momota, "Magnetically-Channeled SIEC
Array (MCSA) Fusion Device for Interplanetary Missions", Space Technology and
Applications International Forum-STAIF 2004 (M .S. El Genk, Ed.) American Institute
of Physics Conf. Proceedings (2004).
5.4
H. Momota, G. H. Miley, and J. Nadler, "Direct Energy Conversion for IEC
Propulsions", Report to National Institute for Fusion Science of Japan, Report NISF­
641, ISSN 0915-633X, August (2000).
5.5
Y. Gu, M. Williams, R. Stubbers, G. Miley, "Pulsed Operation of Spherical Inertial­
Electrostatic Confinement Device," Proceeding of 12th Topical Meeting on the
Technology of Fusion Energy, ANS, Reno, NV, 16-20 June (1996), pp. 1342-1346.
Section VI. Possible Next Step Breakeven Experiment
The prior sections have presented much information about the existing data base and
theory for IEC operation. The potential for use in applications such as a neutron source
and related radiation sources (proton and x-ray) are well established. However the
ultimate goal is to develop a power-producing IEC. Better yet to do this taking
advantage of the unique ability of the IEC to use non-Maxwellian plasma to burn
advanced fuels to minimize radioactive and radiation emission involvement. However
the best current device resu lts are 5 or 6 orders of magnitude down in energy gain Q
(energy out/ in) from breakeven. Thus it may appear that such a hope is many years
off. Fortunately, the IEC can be scaled up in energy gain while keeping a small size
since the losses are in velocity space (i.e. via ion upscattering out of the potential well
trap). This is in sharp contrast to Tokomaks where loses occur via diffusion across the
outer surface, so Increased confinement times have been achieved by going to the
massively large ITER type devices. The problems and costs for construction of ITER
have thrown its development in to the distant future, making this approach ineffective
for addressing the present energy crisis (or as a LLNL associate director recently
bemoaned, "Fusion is irrelevant- no politicians even mention it In the energy scenario").
To provide the reader with some insight into the IEC "vision" for power, we next
present a conceptual proposal for a near term IEC breakeven experiment to prove the
physics of operation with aneutronic p- 11 B fuel. If such a program can be initiated
aggressively, the IEC could have a major impact on the energy crises.
DEMONSTRATION OF NET ENERGY GAIN USING IEC ANEUTRONIC
FUSION
The IEC is one of the few approaches to fusion that has the potential of burning
aneutronic fuels such as D-3He and p- 11B in a reasonable scale device. This fuel results
in charged-particle reaction products which allow efficient use of direct energy
conversion technology with no direct greenhouse emissions and minimal radioactivity or
radioactive wastes. Such a power source has all of t he features sought for future power
plants needed worldwide to turn the tide of the growing energy crisis. The experiment
proposed here would provide verifiable and reproducible proof of break-even conditions
necessary to burn p-11 B as a practical aneutronic fuel in an IEC fusion power-generating
device.
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