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This Defense Intelligence Agency reference document, dated 1 November 2010, is one of a series of advanced technology reports produced in FY 2010 under the Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Applications (AAWSA) Program. It covers fusion plasma physics, confinement methods, and propulsion concepts that use aneutronic fuels such as hydrogen and boron-11. It concludes that such thrusters may soon replace satellite ion thrusters. It also finds that they will not be practical beyond the solar system without breakthrough propulsion physics.
“The Advance”7 pages
UNCLASSIFIED//F811. 8Ffllil-,le lal!i! 8111!\I MID-TERM DEVELOPMENTS Mid-term developments for the timeframe 2020 to 2030 will include engineering designs and ground testing of the selected aneutronic reactor concepts that have the highest probability of success. Universities, national labs, and private companies all contribute designs. Some will be further along by 2020 than others due to funding, investments, scientific breakthroughs, or evolutionary modifications. Systems engineering analysis for aerospace applications must accompany the ground-based experiments, material science, and physical analysis to achieve a solution that can transition to viable aerospace engineering prototypes from plasma fusion propulsion research. Development of high-temperature superconductors that can be machined into multi- Tesla capable confinement magnets is a current area of research. Recent advances in high-temperature superconductors are driven by the sensitivity of semiconductor quantum interference device (SQUID) circuits, the desire for improvements in MRI, improved energy storage, transformers and delivery systems for utility companies, and generators and motors for submarines for the Navy. Here, the materials must not only be compatible with lightweight cryogenics (such as pulse tube compressors), but they must be less brittle and capable of molding into coil geometries with material compatibilities across a broad range of temperatures and stress loads. A suitable substitute for the Nb3SnCu or NbTi in ground-based reactor designs with lighter weight components for both the superconducting materials and the above critical temperature conductor substrates must be found. Building a one-of-a- kind coil geometry large enough to integrate into a plasma fusion engine and able to survive the local environment will likely be an expensive proposition. In the near term, although scale models are useful, the physics and densities change with size. Although this estimate may be optimistic, with concerted efforts by the magnet companies it should be achievable. Energy efficiency is paramount to effective propulsion, fuel consumption, and affordability. Experiments for direct energy conversion might include the following: • Strategic electrode placement to recover power from unconfined charge particle emanation. • Inductive coils for recovery of excess magnetic field energy. • Channeling of thermal energy to heat exchangers or augmented electric power generators. Fusion experiments such as Vlasov modeling, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models, and electrodynamic relaxation models for particle transport, fluid/plasma dynamics, collision-dominated transport, and fusion cross-section predictions need to be applied. Figure 19 summarizes all of these proposed development paths. 27 UNCLASSIFIED/ ;'P81il 8FFI&II k I ■ SF ODIi ¥
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Report, from the dia collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 36 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.