AAWSAP DIRD, Aneutronic Fusion Propulsion II, November 2010

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MID-TERM DEVELOPMENTS
Mid-term developments for the timeframe 2020 to 2030 will include engineering
designs and ground testing of the selected aneutronic reactor concepts that have the
highest probability of success. Universities, national labs, and private companies all
contribute designs. Some will be further along by 2020 than others due to funding,
investments, scientific breakthroughs, or evolutionary modifications. Systems
engineering analysis for aerospace applications must accompany the ground-based
experiments, material science, and physical analysis to achieve a solution that can
transition to viable aerospace engineering prototypes from plasma fusion propulsion
research.
Development of high-temperature superconductors that can be machined into multi­
Tesla capable confinement magnets is a current area of research. Recent advances in
high-temperature superconductors are driven by the sensitivity of semiconductor
quantum interference device (SQUID) circuits, the desire for improvements in MRI,
improved energy storage, transformers and delivery systems for utility companies, and
generators and motors for submarines for the Navy.
Here, the materials must not only be compatible with lightweight cryogenics (such as
pulse tube compressors), but they must be less brittle and capable of molding into coil
geometries with material compatibilities across a broad range of temperatures and
stress loads. A suitable substitute for the Nb3SnCu or NbTi in ground-based reactor
designs with lighter weight components for both the superconducting materials and the
above critical temperature conductor substrates must be found. Building a one-of-a­
kind coil geometry large enough to integrate into a plasma fusion engine and able to
survive the local environment will likely be an expensive proposition. In the near term,
although scale models are useful, the physics and densities change with size. Although
this estimate may be optimistic, with concerted efforts by the magnet companies it
should be achievable.
Energy efficiency is paramount to effective propulsion, fuel consumption, and
affordability. Experiments for direct energy conversion might include the following:
•
Strategic electrode placement to recover power from unconfined charge particle
emanation.
•
Inductive coils for recovery of excess magnetic field energy.
•
Channeling of thermal energy to heat exchangers or augmented electric power
generators.
Fusion experiments such as Vlasov modeling, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models,
and electrodynamic relaxation models for particle transport, fluid/plasma dynamics,
collision-dominated transport, and fusion cross-section predictions need to be applied.
Figure 19 summarizes all of these proposed development paths.
UNCLASSIFIED//fOR OfFIOIAl lal&li &P•lY
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