NIF and Fusion Energy

[Bonam]

NIF (the National Ignition Facility) seems to get very little coverage in Canada but it is something not to miss out on for people interested in fusion energy. After 13 years of construction the facility is set to begin its full scale experiments this year. In essence, it is a laser inertial confinement facility, which means that a multitude (192) of laser beams symmetrically heat and compress a pellet of Deuterium-Tritium. It is the first facility of its kind built with the expectation that it will actually achieve ignition. A basic intro video and explanation of how it works:

There are a lot of impressive things about NIF. For example, take a look at these enormous ultra pure crystals used for the laser optics. The lasers deliver 1.8 MJ of energy in just 9 nanoseconds. That is a 200 Terawatt laser pulse, far beyond anything done before; for those nanoseconds, the lasers are channeling about 15 times more power than what is produced in the whole world, combined.

Preliminary test shots at NIF have shown that one of the biggest unknowns, a potential barrier to achieving fusion, is actually going to be a non-issue. As mentioned in a bbc article, the plasma formed inside the Hohlraum could interfere with laser energy being delivered to the target, but tests have shown that in fact it provides only minimal interference.

A lot of people aren't expecting to hear about any progress in fusion until ITER becomes operational after 2020, but I'd say we have a very good chance of seeing controlled fusion (with more energy out than in) achieved in NIF in the very near future. We may well be on the verge of a breakthrough in fusion.

Just thought I'd share this since I haven't seen a thread about it here and have been learning a lot about it lately.

For those interested in more information:

the wiki article

official website

Edited February 27, 2010 by Bonam