Fusion Reactivity Enhancement: Numerical Beam-Driven FRC

Project Description

TAE’s fusion technology creates a promising energy alternative (to e.g. Tokamak) that delivers practical science, engineering integration and commercially competitive economics. Its unique combination of advanced particle accelerator and plasma physics offers a technology that is compact, aneutronic, carbon-free and sustainable with a safe environmental profile. (http://www.trialphaenergy.com/company, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/technology/start-ups-take-on-challenge-of-nuclear-fusion.html?_r=0).ORNL large-scale HPC resources will enable us to study computing scaling, address physics scaling laws of FRC in the presence of advance beam system, study micro and macro FRC stability, and further the science of reactivity and thus neutron creation in high beta plasma. Advanced beam system is essential and strategic to TAE’s business plan to pursue fusion and clean energy. Therefore, it is imperative for TAE to have a thorough theoretical and computational understanding of beam effects on the FRC plasma.TAE is a privately funded company. A collaboration (DD and ALCC) between the private large-scale fusion efforts (at TAE) with the Government will significantly enrich, benefit and impact the overall breadth, depth, and reach of US fusion efforts. TAE’s approach to fusion dovetails with the DOE Office of FES (i,ii) which identified the FRC as a leading candidate for advanced fusion energy, using clean fuels with little to no radiation.i) R. Hazeltine, “Research Needs for Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences Report of the Research Needs Workshop (ReNeW),” (U.S. Department of Energy, Washington DC, 2009) p 381.ii) D. N. Hill, “Report of the FESAC Toroidal Alternates Panel”, (U.S. Department of Energy, Washington DC, 2008) Secs 7-9 to 7-11.