Liner Compression of FRC With Retention of Charged-Particle Products of Fusion

As conceived originally in the Linus program at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA, (c. 1975) and continued in the stabilized liner compressor, alphas from D-T fusion reactions are retained within a field-reversed configuration (FRC), supplying additional energy density to push the stabilized liner outward, compensating in part for electromechanical losses. Retention of the D-T alphas within the FRC has been considered previously, requiring adjustment of liner dynamics for changes in the FRC proportions. Estimates of tritium handling facilities for D-T fuels suggest that there would be significant overall advantages to attempting advanced fuels (e.g., D-3He, complete D-D), even though cross sections are much smaller than for D-T. The higher temperatures required for such fuels may be readily attained by strong adiabatic compression using stabilized liner implosions. With most of the fusion energy in charged-particle products (e.g., 90% for D-3He), retention of these particles within the FRC and use of their energy densities in performing work are key issues. These include nuclear gains in the plasma that are now very significant portions of the FRC energy. This article examines the liner compression of an FRC with the retention of charged particles from advanced fuel reactions.