Implosion of liquid cavities for magnetized target fusion

这个项目将研究被称为磁化目标聚变(MTF)的聚变能量概念中使用的液体空腔的内爆。在MTF中，通过使限制等离子体的壁压缩现有等离子体，使其进一步加热和致密，使等离子体达到发生重大热核反应的条件。如果隔离层的墙壁可以由旋转的铅锂合金液体组成，该液体产生一个轴向空腔，然后通过气动活塞崩溃，那么这些液体将吸收反应的热量和中子，并不断地再循环，通过蒸汽发电机发电。总部位于不列颠哥伦比亚省伯纳比的General Fusion公司正在为商业发电开发这项技术。这一概念依赖于液态金属腔在受到驱动腔坍塌的活塞的冲击后，能够平稳而对称地内爆的能力。有许多机制可能导致空腔的崩溃是不稳定的，并污染等离子体或停止压缩。活塞的数量有限，会产生单独的冲击波，这些冲击波必须合并成单一的对称冲击波。从液态金属进入等离子体的冲击波导致表面不稳定，类似于油上的水。新出现的冲击波还会导致一波张力，反射回液体中，在一种称为空化的现象中会撕裂一层液体。本项目将研究这些现象，它们如何影响压缩质量，以及可以用来克服不稳定的各种技术。将建造一种装置，通过检查液体腔的二维切片，可以容易地可视化内爆腔动力学。这项工作还将使用最先进的计算工具进行建模。这项研究将直接有助于聚变反应堆的最终设计，该聚变反应堆将利用内爆液腔作为聚变反应的驱动机制。如果实现，这项技术将有效地无休止地供应零排放能源。

This project will examine the implosion of liquid cavities that would be used in a fusion energy concept called Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF). In MTF, an existing plasma is further heated and densified by having the walls that confine the plasma compress it, bringing the plasma to a condition where significant thermonuclear reactions occur. If the walls of the confinement could be comprised of a spinning liquid lead-lithium alloy that creates an axial cavity and is then collapsed by pneumatically driven piston, this liquid would absorb the heat and neutrons of the reaction and be continuously recirculated to generate electricity via a steam-driven generator. General Fusion, a Burnaby BC-based company, is developing this technology for commercial power generation. This concept relies on the ability of a cavity of liquid metal to implode smoothly and symmetrically upon being impacted by pistons that drive the collapse of the cavity. There exist a number of mechanisms that could result in the collapse of the cavity being unstable and contaminate the plasma or halt the compression. The finite number of pistons results in individual shock waves that must merge into a single, symmetric shock. The shock wave emerging from the liquid metal into the plasma results in a surface instability, similar to water resting on top of oil. The emerging shock also results in a wave of tension that is reflected back into the liquid that can tear off a layer of the liquid in a phenomenon known as cavitation. This project will examine these phenomena, how they influence the quality of compression, and various techniques that can be used to overcome the instability. An apparatus will be constructed that permits easy visualization of the imploding cavity dynamics by examining a two-dimensional slice of the liquid cavity. The work will also be modeled using state-of-the-art computational tools. This research will directly contribute to the eventual design of a fusion reactor that will utilize the imploding liquid cavity as the driving mechanism of the fusion reaction. If realized, this technology would result in an effectively endless supply of zero emission energy.