A laser-controlled nuclear fusion system and method for achieving energy gain

Abstract

This invention discloses a laser-controlled fusion system and method for achieving energy gain. The system includes: a vacuum spherical cavity, a target, multiple lasers, a single high-intensity laser, and a laser-shock wave converter. The single high-intensity laser refers to a laser capable of outputting a power density of up to 10-1. 23 w / cm 2 The method involves using lasers with energies exceeding 80,000 joules; the laser-shock wave converter is a hollow frustum-shaped cone, with its apex located inside the target pellet, and the virtual apex coinciding with the center of the target pellet. The method first utilizes the hotspot plasma state equation and rocket equation laser parameters, then constructs a laser-controlled fusion system, and finally conducts a laser-controlled fusion experiment. This system, developed based on direct and indirect laser fusion experimental methods, represents a new experimental theory and method in the field of laser fusion. This system and method can effectively reduce the technical difficulty of laser fusion experiments and achieve laser-controlled fusion with energy gain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of nuclear energy and nuclear technology, specifically relating to a laser-controlled nuclear fusion system and method for achieving energy gain. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the most likely methods to achieve controlled nuclear fusion in the world are magnetic confinement fusion and laser inertial confinement fusion. The experimental approaches for laser inertial confinement fusion mainly include direct and indirect drive methods, as well as fast ignition. These methods are all currently under research. The best-performing indirect drive experiment achieved a laser input energy of 2.25 MJ and a hotspot energy output of 3.5 MJ, with a hotspot gain greater than 1. Although this experiment achieved a gain greater than 1 within the hotspot, to achieve net energy output, the overall energy gain of the device needs to reach 200-300 times. To date, no experiment has achieved the expected results.

[0003] There are several reasons why laser-controlled nuclear fusion experiments have not been successful: First, insufficient research on the state of high-temperature, high-density plasma led to inaccurate predictions of technological needs at the outset. Second, insufficient research on the compression and combustion processes of plasma resulted in significant discrepancies between our understanding and reality; further research is needed on each stage of the driving and implosion processes to provide accurate information on the formation, development, and combustion of high-temperature, high-density plasma. Third, controlled nuclear fusion technology is already at the extreme edge of technological development, but many experimental challenges remain unresolved, such as asymmetry, instability in the compression process, and low energy transfer efficiency in the driving process.

[0004] Currently, there are three main paths for the development of laser-controlled nuclear fusion: first, increasing energy input; second, improving energy coupling and transmission efficiency; and third, developing experimental theories and new experimental methods. The first two methods have reached their technical limits and are very difficult to develop. Therefore, the third method is currently the one that we hope can effectively reduce the difficulty of experimental technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a laser-controlled fusion system and method for achieving energy gain. This system is developed based on the direct and indirect driving experimental methods of laser fusion, and can effectively reduce the technical difficulty of laser fusion experiments and achieve laser-controlled fusion with energy gain.

[0006] To achieve this objective, the first aspect of the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a laser-controlled fusion system for realizing energy gain, the system comprising: a vacuum spherical cavity, a target pellet, and multiple lasers, the system further comprising: a single high-intensity laser and a laser-shock wave converter;

[0007] The target pellet is located at the center of the vacuum spherical cavity;

[0008] The multiple lasers are symmetrically distributed around the vacuum spherical cavity, and the output lasers of the multiple lasers are directed towards the center of the target.

[0009] The single-channel high-intensity laser is located outside the vacuum spherical cavity, and its output laser points to the laser-shock wave converter. The single-channel high-intensity laser refers to a laser capable of outputting a power density of up to 10... 23 w / cm 2 Lasers with energies of 80,000 joules or more;

[0010] The laser-shock wave converter is a hollow frustum-shaped structure with its cone-top platform located inside the target pellet, and the virtual apex of the cone coinciding with the center of the target pellet. A single high-intensity laser is injected into the laser-shock wave converter from the tail of the frustum.

[0011] Preferably, the device further includes: a black cylindrical cavity located in the middle of a vacuum spherical cavity; the target pellet is disposed at the geometric center of the black cylindrical cavity; a laser-shock wave converter is located inside the black cylindrical cavity; and the output laser of the multi-channel laser is incident on the cavity wall of the black cylindrical cavity in a cone shape.

[0012] Preferably, the laser-shock wave converter is made of lightweight materials.

[0013] The second aspect of this invention adopts the following technical solution: a laser-controlled fusion method for achieving energy gain, the method comprising:

[0014] S1: Obtain the hot spot plasma state equation of the target pellet under high temperature, high pressure, and high density conditions. Calculate the energy required to obtain a qualified hot spot using the hot spot plasma equation. High temperature, high pressure, and high density refer to a temperature ≥10 keV and a density ≥1 kg / cm³. 3 Pressure ≥10 15 Pa;

[0015] S2: Based on the calculated energy required for a qualified hot spot, the energy required by the strongest single-path laser is then calculated.

[0016] S3: Density ≥ 1 kg / cm³ calculated using rocket equations 3 The energy required for the formation of high-density hot spots was determined, and the energy and driving waveform of the output laser from the multi-channel laser were identified. The high density was defined as a density ≥ 1 kg / cm³. 3 The driving waveform of the laser is a high-order nonlinear curve, which is a nonlinear curve in which the driving energy increases with the driving time in a manner greater than the third power.

[0017] S4: Configure the laser-controlled fusion system as described above, and configure the parameters of the multiple lasers and the single most powerful laser.

[0018] S5: To conduct laser-controlled fusion;

[0019] First, a multi-channel laser is driven to emit laser beams. These lasers, either spherically radiating directly onto the outer surface of the target pellet or conically injected at both ends onto the inner wall of the cylindrical cavity. The resulting X-rays uniformly irradiate the target pellet, driving an implosion of the fuel within the pellet, creating a density greater than 1 kg / cm³ tightly adhering to the cone-shaped laser-shock wave converter's apex platform. 3 fuel;

[0020] Next, a single high-intensity laser is driven to emit laser light. The laser radiation generates a shock wave after passing through the hollow cavity of the laser-shock wave converter. The shock wave enters the fuel sphere inside the target pellet and adheres to the cone-shaped laser-shock wave converter's apex platform with a density greater than 1 kg / cm³. 3 The fuel is heated to the fusion reaction temperature, causing the fuel to undergo a self-sustaining fusion reaction.

[0021] Preferably, the ablation compression pressure of the multi-channel laser is 1.1 to 1.5 times the fuel pressure and remains constant during the driving compression process.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The laser-controlled fusion system and method for achieving energy gain provided by this invention are developed based on the direct and indirect driving experimental methods of laser fusion. This system and method is a new experimental theory and method in the field of laser fusion. This system and method can effectively reduce the technical difficulty of laser fusion experiments and achieve laser-controlled fusion with energy gain. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a laser-controlled fusion system for achieving energy gain according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a laser-controlled fusion system for achieving energy gain according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] In the diagram: 1. Vacuum spherical cavity 2. Multi-channel laser 3. Single-channel high-intensity laser 4. Laser-shock wave converter 5. Target pellet 6. Black column cavity. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments described herein are intended to help the reader understand the principles of the invention, and should be understood that the scope of protection of the invention is not limited to such specific statements and embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various other specific modifications and combinations based on the technical teachings disclosed in this invention without departing from the spirit of the invention, and these modifications and combinations are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0027] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] A laser-controlled fusion system for achieving energy gain, as an example, has the following structure: Figure 1 As shown, the system includes: a vacuum spherical cavity 1, a target 5, and multiple lasers 2. It also includes: a single high-intensity laser 3 and a laser-to-shock wave converter 4. The target 5 is located at the center of the vacuum spherical cavity 1 and is filled with high-pressure fusion fuel. The multiple lasers 2 are symmetrically distributed around the vacuum spherical cavity 1, and their output lasers point towards the center of the target 5. The single high-intensity laser 3 is located around the vacuum spherical cavity 1, and its output laser points towards the laser-to-shock wave converter 4. A single high-intensity laser refers to a laser capable of outputting a power density of up to 10... 23 w / cm 2 The laser has an energy of over 80,000 joules. The laser-shock wave converter 4 is a hollow frustum-shaped cone, with its apex platform located inside the target pellet 5, and the virtual apex point at the center of the target pellet 5. The output of the single-channel high-intensity laser 3 is injected from the tail of the frustum-shaped laser-shock wave converter 4, generating a high-intensity shock wave that acts on the fuel, heating the center or edge of the high-density fuel to reach the temperature for self-sustaining combustion. The shock wave attenuates within tens of micrometers of the fuel, resulting in high laser-shock wave conversion efficiency and effectively reducing the laser energy required for the experiment. The aforementioned conical laser-shock wave converter 4 is configured with a platform-hollow cone tip and uses lightweight materials such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen to improve the laser-shock wave conversion efficiency.

[0029] As another embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the laser-controlled fusion system that realizes energy gain also includes a black cylindrical cavity 6, which is located in the middle of the vacuum spherical cavity 1; at this time, the target 5 is set at the geometric center of the black cylindrical cavity 6, and the laser-shock wave converter 4 is located inside the black cylindrical cavity 6; the output laser of the multi-channel laser 2 is incident on the cavity wall of the black cylindrical cavity 6 in a cone shape at both ends.

[0030] The working principle of the above system is as follows: The laser generated by the multi-channel laser 2 configured around the vacuum spherical cavity 1 passes through the vacuum spherical cavity 1 and radiates spherically onto the target pellet 5 (which is filled with high-pressure fusion fuel), or it is incident in a cylindrical shape on the inner wall of the black column cavity 6 to generate X-rays. The X-rays irradiate the target pellet 5, thereby driving the target pellet 5 (which is filled with high-pressure fusion fuel) to implode and compress the fuel into a high-density plasma. The plasma adheres tightly to the conical platform of the laser-shock wave converter 4. A high-intensity short-pulse laser 3 irradiates the inner wall of the laser-shock wave converter 4, generating a high-intensity shock wave that enters the high-temperature, high-density plasma and does work on the plasma, making the plasma temperature even higher, reaching the ignition temperature, and then burning, releasing sufficient products.

[0031] The method for achieving laser-controlled nuclear fusion using the aforementioned system in this application is as follows:

[0032] The first step is to obtain the hot spot plasma state equation of the target pellet under high temperature, high pressure, and high density conditions, and to calculate the hot spot energy to determine the energy required to obtain a qualified hot spot. Here, high temperature, high pressure, and high density refer to a temperature ≥10 keV, a density ≥1 kg, and a pressure ≥10 keV. 15 Pa, the plasma state equation is as follows:

[0033]

[0034] Where P P P represents plasma pressure. e P represents electron pressure. u P represents potential energy pressure. EH P represents electromagnetic field pressure. r E represents the radiation field pressure. K E represents particle energy. u E represents potential energy. EH E represents electromagnetic energy. r n represents radiant energy. j T represents the number of particles of the j-th type, k represents the kinetic energy, and T represents the energy of the j-th type. j The kinetic energy temperature is represented by q, the particle charge is represented by ε0, and the dielectric polarization constant is represented by r. j Let λ represent the distance between the j-th type of particles, and q represent the most probable distance. j Let T represent the charge number of the j-th particle, a represent the radiation constant, and T represent the radiation number. r The value represents the radiation temperature; K represents the Boltzmann constant, T represents the temperature, and n represents the total number of particles.

[0035] The second step involves calculating the energy required for the formation of a high-density hot spot using rocket equations and determining the laser driving waveform. The improved rocket equations proposed in this application are shown below:

[0036]

[0037] Where η is the transfer efficiency, M0 is the initial mass of the target pellet, M is the remaining mass of the target pellet, and P is the transfer efficiency. f For fuel pressure, P a For ablation pressure, E M For the kinetic energy of the target, E ex To dissipate kinetic energy, u ex Let u be the ablation mass ejection velocity, and u be the implosion velocity.

[0038] The third step is to calculate the energy required by the single-path strongest laser based on the energy required to obtain a qualified hot spot.

[0039] The fourth step involves configuring the laser-controlled fusion system as described above, and configuring the parameters of the multiple lasers and the single most powerful laser. As an example, the parameters of the most powerful laser are configured such that its power density can reach 10-1. 23 w / cm 2 The energy is above 80,000 joules, and the energy of the other multiple laser optical paths is above 4 megajoules;

[0040] The fifth step involves laser-controlled fusion. First, multiple lasers are driven to emit modulated laser waveforms. The lasers pass through the glass window of the vacuum spherical cavity and radiate directly and uniformly onto the target pellet in a spherical shape, or they are injected into the inner wall of the black column cavity in a cone shape at both ends. After generating X-rays, they irradiate the target pellet uniformly, ablate the fuel shell layer, drive the fuel to implode, and form high-density fuel that adheres tightly to the cone-shaped laser-shock wave converter's cone-top platform. Next, a single high-intensity laser is driven to emit lasers. The laser radiation generates a shock wave after entering the hollow cavity of the laser-shock wave converter. The shock wave enters the fuel sphere inside the target pellet and heats the high-temperature, high-density fuel to a sufficiently high temperature, causing the fuel to undergo a self-sustaining fusion reaction.

[0041] The ablation compression pressure of the aforementioned multi-channel laser waveform is slightly greater than the fuel pressure, i.e., the adiabatic compressibility coefficient α (the ratio of ablation pressure to fuel pressure) is between 1.1 and 1.5. The purpose is to minimize the fuel volume and maximize its density under adiabatic conditions. As the fuel pressure increases nonlinearly, the ablation pressure also increases nonlinearly, resulting in a high-order nonlinear curve in the laser-driven waveform.

Claims

1. A laser controlled fusion system that achieves energy gain, the system comprising: Vacuum spherical chamber, target pellet, multi-laser, single high-intensity laser and laser-shock wave converter; The target pellet is located at the center of the vacuum spherical chamber; The multi-laser is symmetrically distributed at the periphery of the vacuum spherical chamber, and the output laser of the multi-laser is directed to the center of the target pellet; The single high-intensity laser is located at the periphery of the vacuum spherical cavity, and the output laser points to the laser-shock wave converter. 23 w / cm 2 The single high-intensity laser is located at the periphery of the vacuum spherical cavity, and the output laser points to the laser-shock wave converter. The laser-shock wave converter is in the shape of a hollow frustum, the top platform of the frustum is located inside the target pellet, the virtual tip point of the frustum top coincides with the center of the target pellet, and the single high-intensity laser is injected into the laser-shock wave converter from the tail of the frustum; The system further comprises a black column cavity located in the middle of the vacuum spherical chamber, the target pellet is arranged at the geometric center of the black column cavity, the laser-shock wave converter is located in the black column cavity, and the output laser of the multi-laser is incident on the cavity wall of the black column cavity in the shape of a cone.

2. The energy gain enabling laser controllable fusion system of claim 1, wherein, The laser-shock wave converter is made of light material.

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