Abstract
Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) is an approach to fusion energy generation through the implosion of a liquid metal cavity to compress a deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasma. We propose a method to drive a cavity collapse through direct interaction between the liquid liner with pressurized gas. Our method involves the use of passive check valves to provide a cost-effective and partially reversible process of collapse generation. A subscale cylindrical rotating cavity experiment is designed and constructed to analyze the performance of the concept using pressurized air and a water liner. A high-speed camera and image processing methods are used to identify the trajectory of the free surface of the water liner and identify the impact of rotational speed and gas pressure on the cavity collapse. Experimental data is compared with a simplified dynamic model derived from inviscid Navier-Stokes equations, and two-dimensional axisymmetric computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations with the commercial code Ansys Fluent. We see agreement between experiment and both numerical approaches within measurement uncertainty. We discuss how our results will inform the development of larger-scale prototypes.
Dick, JS, Bernard, S, & Khalzov, I. Check Valve Rotor Concept to Form an Imploding Liquid Liner for Magnetized Target Fusion Application. Proceedings of the Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference. Volume 3: Fluid-Structure Interaction. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. July 16–21, 2023. V003T04A023. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/PVP2023-105960
