Application of a plasma accelerator of the dense plasma. After seven years of theoretical work and raising money, five months of design, five months of construction and assembly, and a week of testing, lpp now has a functioning dense plasma focus, focus fusion1. Instead of constantly having to fight the plasmas natural. Toth and principal investigator wim leemans, with the rest of their group at lbnl, have devised a possible solution.
In this manner, the point where the electrons hit the anode, generating gamma rays. A low energy fast miniature plasma focus device fmpf1 has recently been developed to be used as compact and portable nanosecond pulsed neutron source for field applications. Thanks for contributing an answer to physics stack exchange. The following video neatly explains what a dense plasma focus device is. The dense plasma focus dpf, a coaxial plasma gun, utilizes pulsed high current electrical discharge to heat and compres s the plasma to very hi gh density and tem perature with energy densities. Analysis of nitrogen ion beam produced in dense plasma focus. Dense plasma focus discharges are known as a remarkable source of hot plasma bunches and fast streams, fast neutrons, hard and soft xrays, and energetic particles such as ions and electrons. This cheap and unlimited energy source is based on aneutronic fuels and the dense plasma focus device, a combination we call focus fusion. We present here a very small transportable dense plasma focus with 125 j of energy able to be used mainly as an intense fast neutron source. Alikhanov institute for theoretical and experimental.
Riding the plasma wave of the future symmetry magazine. Oct 27, 2016 the dense plasma focus, or dpf machines at the nnss are currently the largest and most powerful of their kind in the world. Lppfusion is developing a new energy source, modeled on fusion energy that powers our sun. Theory of the dense plasma focus as fusion device and experimental results. The physics of inertial fusion combines quite different areas of physics. We present some results of our experiments with use of a number of plasma accelerators of the dense plasma focus type, namely pf5m imet, bank energy 5 kj, pf6 ipplm, 7 kj, and the largest in the world dpf facility operating with deuterium as a working gas pf ipplm, 1.
Internetbased plasma focus course on numerical experiments. Small dense pulsed plasma discharges program at the. The goal of this paper is to widen the understanding of fusion technology as well as immerse the average person in benefits and drawbacks surrounding nuclear power. Small dense ldl and apolipoprotein b were also highly correlated. The system demonstrated scaling laws that suggested it would not be useful in the commercial power role, and since the 1980s it has been used primarily as a fusion teaching system, and as a source of neutrons and xrays. The pinch results in a brief about 100 nanosecond pulse of xrays, and, for some working gases, also a pulse of neutrons. At lawrenceville plasma physics eric lerner has managed to reduce a number of the variables in the basic apparatus to enable highly predictable results to be achieved in contrast to the larger projects around the world, but similar to the thrust of a number of smaller ones, the fuel for this unit is proposed to be boron b 11 and hydrogen h 1 or a proton p through aneutronic fusion.
The experiments are being conducted with a newly constructed dense plasma focus in middlesex, nj which is expected to generate peak currents in excess of 2 ma. The dense plasma focus dpf, with density and temperature of pinch plasma many orders of magnitudes higher than lowtemperature plasmas, however, has been used on the very limited basis for material processing and synthesis as it faces criticism of the lack of controlled processing and deposition with desired features. Analysis of nitrogen ion beam produced in dense plasma. The dense plasma focus dpf, first invented in 1954, is far more compact and. Essentially this approach can be summarized as follows.
On the right is a molecular dynamics simulation for a one component plasma ocp with moderate coulomb coupling, \\gamma 10\, where selected particles are colored orange. They emit bursts of neutrons that are used in a variety of scientific. The superimposed animation emphasizes what the naked eye can not see, namely x rays, ion beams and electron beam coming out of the plasmoid think of a plasmoid as a micro sun, and the capture of these moving charged particles electricity by definition directly. The medical applications of an air plasma spray for 1 bleeding control and for 2 wound healing are then illustrated and discussed. Fusion energy generation and capture within dense plasma. Dense plasma focus dpf the dpf is a compact and simple device first developed in the 1960s by n. Dense plasma focus dpf device is a type of plasma accelerator that produces. The considerable increase of the hard xray emission is evident. The development of pulse power generators, capable of delivering currents to a plasma load of i 10 5 a with didt 10 12 as led to a widely held belief that by heating and compressing the plasma at a high enough rate, dense hot plasma conditions could be achieved in times shorter than the instability growth time 36.
The focus is conjectured to be a short but finite twodimensional zpinch forming near or at the end of a coaxial plasma accelerator. Small dense pulsed plasma discharges program at the chilean. This paper will deal with the design of a dense plasma focus device along with an explanation of how the process works. A denseplasma focus device as a compact neutron source. Dense plasma focus dpf is a plasma discharge with plasma densities n l0 l9 cm 3 and temperatures of a few kilo electron volts lasting 100 to 150 nsec. We will first take a look at nuclear power in general, and why some within society believe it to be. Instead of trying to stabilize and confine the plasma as in an ordinary fusion reactor, the dense plasma focus takes advantage of the plasma natural instability to release a large amount of energy in a very short time. The results revealed the effectiveness and mechanism of low temperature air plasma on clotting blood. Usim for high energy density plasmas examples and documentation, demonstrating independent evolution of ions and electrons, coupling of ions, electron fluids, and electromagnetic fields, as well as general equation of state for ions and electrons, reduce your learning curve and ensure faster results. Dense plasma focus discharges are known as a remarkable source of hot plasma bunches and fast streams, fast neutrons, hard and soft xrays, and energetic. Zralon composite films by dense plasma focus device, applied surface science 25512 626140 2009. The dense plasma focus dpf is a classic zpinch plasma device that has been studied for decades as a radiation.
Measurements of the basic characteristics of the dense. Physics stack exchange is a question and answer site for active researchers, academics and students of physics. This leads to the focusing phase of the plasma column where a hot and dense column of plasma is formed. Dense plasma focus resources this page is a little more informal and freeform than most since it is just a copy of my notes. Pdf dense plasma focus from alternative fusion source to. Prospects for p11b fusion with the dense plasma focus.
Pulsed current discharges through gas 100 ma deuterium gas is injected hypersonically into chamber. Design and construction of a dense plasma focus device. Jun 26, 2001 the development of pulse power generators, capable of delivering currents to a plasma load of i 10 5 a with didt 10 12 as led to a widely held belief that by heating and compressing the plasma at a high enough rate, dense hot plasma conditions could be achieved in times shorter than the instability growth time 36. In this seminar we will discuss the current state of quantitative theories of the device, experimental. The dense plasma focus accelerator requires, for optimum. Jun 12, 2014 the following video neatly explains what a dense plasma focus device is. Physics and applications radiation material science, singleshot disclosure of hidden illegal objects, radiation biology and medicine, etc. Study of dense plasmasurface interaction by a filippov type plasma. Images of the dense plasma focus phenomenon in the 2kj paco device article pdf available in ieee transactions on plasma science 332. The paper describes the filamentary structure observed in the highenergy ultraviolet radiation for discharges performed at the hydrogen or deuteriumfilling and at the puffing of hydrogen, deuterium or helium, in a megaampere dense plasmafocus facility. The dense plasma focus, or dpf machines at the nnss are currently the largest and most powerful of their kind in the world. The dense plasma focus dpf has long been considered a compact source for pulsed neutrons and has traditionally been optimized for total neutron yield. Lppfusions focus fusion approach builds upon 40 years of international scientific research on the dense plasma focus device which lppfs physics team has made very significant improvements upon. Nanomaterials free fulltext dense plasma focusbased.
Recent advancements in experiments and the theoretical understanding of this concept suggest favorable scaling of fusion power output yield as i42. This particular type of dense plasma focus is an electrical discharge between coaxial electrodes in weak vacuum the dense part of about 12 torr. Dense plasma focus as a novel high energy density pulsed. Mather in the usa and has been studied by dozens of groups over the last 45 years, resulting a large and rich literature. Design of zpinch and dense plasma focus powered vehicles. No narration here just watch what happens inside the dense plasma focus chamber when the plasma pinches it self into a plasmoid. Filamentation in the pinched column of the dense plasma focus. Due to improved diagnostics and theoretical models considerable progress in the understanding of these devices has been made since their invention in the early 1960 ies. From beamtarget to thermonuclear fusion in the dense plasma. Dense plasma focus laser produced plasmas lowtemperature plasmas 10 hz miniature pf portable neutron source 20 kj pf neutron source for material irradiation shortlived radioisotopes production coded aperture imaging of fusion neutron source xray emission studies for sxr microlithography magnetic nanopartilces and hardcoatings using plasma focus. Small dense lipoproteins, apolipoprotein b, and risk of. Study of dense plasmasurface interaction by a filippov type. Pdf images of the dense plasma focus phenomenon in the 2.
Schmidt1 1lawrence livermore national lab, livermore, ca 94550, usa 2department of physics, uc berkeley, berkeley, ca 94720, usa the dense plasma focus dpf is a classic zpinch plasma device that. On the right is a molecular dynamics simulation for a one component plasma ocp with moderate coulomb coupling, \\gamma 10\, where selected particles are colored orange to guide the eye. The dense plasma focus dpf, a coaxial plasma gun, utilizes pulsed high current electrical discharge to heat and compress the plasma to very high density and temperature with energy densities in. Seeding the m 0 instability in dense plasma focus zpinches with a. The energy produced will be environmentally safe for all life on our planet.
The system operates in deuterium producing maximum neutron yield in the order of 106 neutrons pulse in 4 sr. In this paper, we summarize the fabrication of iiiv semiconductor nanostructures using the high fluence material ions produced by hot, dense and extremely nonequilibrium plasma generated in a modified dpf device. The characteristics of the initial formation of the current sheath in plasma focus devices can be important for the optimized operation of the device. Dense plasma focus abstract this paper will deal with the. A shot in similar conditions, but with a solid brass end added to the anode. Basic characteristics of the dense plasma focus device figure 6. Fully threedimensional simulation and modeling of a. The advantages of focus fusion there are two key advantages to deep. Measurements of the basic characteristics of the dense plasma.
Pdf dense plasma focus from alternative fusion source. A dense plasma focus dpf is a type of plasma generating system originally developed as a fusion power device starting in the early 1960s. Institute of plasma physics and laser microfusion department of magnetized plasmas, 23 hery str. American physical society division division of plasma physics annual meeting, san jose, ca, oct. Prospects for p b fusion with the dense plasma focus.
The basis of the fusion idea is in utilising a plasma focus machine as is outlined in information on dense plasma focus. They used a preformed channel of dense plasma to guide the laser beam, in much the same way an optical fiber can guide light. Study of plasma sheath formation in a low energy plasma focus. These filaments connect the surface of a pinched column with internal plasmoids formed at. This is a reference book for those working on beam plasma physics, be it in the context of fundamental research or applications to fusion energy or novel ultrabright laser sources. Dense plasma focus 4 dense plasma focus circuit pulse circuit pulsed xray generation instrumentation. Due to improved diagnostics and theoretical models considerable progress in the understanding of these devices has been made since their. Study of dense plasmasurface interaction by a filippov. All these devices generate hot some 100 evsome kev, dense 10 17. Ablation of anode top material or anode insert material by hot dense plasma and backward moving electron beam. Dense plasma focus properties physics stack exchange. Lawrenceville plasma physics for cheaper nuclear fusion.
It consists of two concentric cylindrical electrodes. The hot and dense plasma formed in modified dense plasma focus dpf device has been used worldwide for the nanofabrication of several materials. Seeding the m 0 instability in dense plasma focus zpinches with a hollow anode j. Shown left is the electron density from an orbitalfree quantum molecular dynamics simulation for a warm dense plasma of deuterium at density 10 gcc and temperature 10 ev. Nov 12, 2009 what is the dense plasma focus, and how does it work to achieve nuclear fusion. The focus is conjectured to be a short but finite twodimensional z pinch forming near or at the end of a coaxial plasma accelerator. But avoid asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. This is clear from the oscilloscope graphs shown below figure 5 and figure 6. Plasma focus devices are presently investigated in about 20 laboratories. After seven years of theoretical work and raising money, five months of design, five months of construction and assembly, and a week of testing, lpp now has a functioning dense plasma focus, focusfusion1. Seeding the m 0 instability in dense plasma focus z.
The dense plasma focus device offers a very different and possibly much shorter route to practical fusion energy than the tokamak. The aluminum made targets with 20cm in diameter and thickness 5mm, were placed at the central part of plasma focus cathode. Experimental setup to clearly distinguish between the radiation from the anode end and that from the plasmoids, we used a cylindrical anode with 6cmdeep recess at the pinch end fig. American physical society division division of plasma. A fast miniature plasma focus base d compact and portable. Dense plasma focus abstract this paper will deal with. The zpinch dense plasma focus method is an mif concept in which a column of gas is converted to plasma and then compressed to thermonuclear conditions by an axial current i100 ma. The plasma focus discharge the mather plasma focus pf is a transient electrical discharge produced in arranged coaxial electrodes, separated by an insulator, and driven typically by a capacitive pulsed power generator, which is controlled by a sparkgap switch. What is the dense plasma focus, and how does it work to achieve nuclear fusion. Zpinchdense plasma focus thermonuclear propulsion system. Creation of a dense plasma focus device and its application in radiation material sciences for the.
Plasma focus neutron scaling laws from numerical experiments up to 25mj y n vs e 0 note y n e 0 2 at low e 0. Its functioning relies on utilizing natural plasma instabilities rather than attempting to suppress them. Dd neutron yield in the 125 j dense plasma focus nanofocus. There is even a central site based in singapore which allows people to calculate results varying many parameters of the apparatus. Dense plasmas research in the chilean nuclear energy. The advantages of focus fusion there are two key advantages to deep plasma focus fusion hereafter shortened to focus fusion. Construction and physics of the dense plasma focus. The aim of this work was to design, construct and experimentally study a very compact nuclear fusion apparatus, at the lower energy limit, useful for multiple applications, such as soil humidity measurements, inspection of several materials metallic. A dense plasma focus dpf is a pulsedpower machine that electromagnetically accelerates and cylindrically compresses a shocked plasma in a zpinch. Besides thi s, it emits copious amount corresponding author. This strategy extended the length of the tightly focused plasma wake by an order of magnitude. Plasma rapidly expands against magnetic nozzle, generating thrust. What are the pros and cons of dense plasma focus fusion. Dense plasma focus device, namely, nanosecond time duration of neutron and hard xray radiation pulses and their very high brightness, to test and develop different detection methods based on pulsed fast neutron analysis pfna concept where elastically and inelastically scattered pulses of neutrons are used simultaneously with xray.
Induced fields interact with current to dynamically compress gas to thermonuclear temperatures. Results of large scale plasmafocus experiments and. Briefly, this is a pinchtype apparatus which has been around many years giving huge community experience working with its physics. Study of plasma sheath formation in a low energy plasma. Instead of constantly having to fight the plasma s natural instability, they are able to use it to their advantage. The zpinchdense plasma focus method is an mif concept in which a column of gas is converted to plasma and then compressed to thermonuclear conditions by an axial current i100 ma. A great deal of experimental research has been done into the physics of dpf reactions, and. We present some results of our experiments with use of a number of plasma accelerators of the dense plasma focus type, namely pf5m imet, bank energy 5 kj, pf6 ipplm, 7 kj, and the largest in the world dpf facility operating with deuterium as a working. Pdf images of the dense plasma focus phenomenon in the 2kj.
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