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This Defense Intelligence Reference Document, dated 1 November 2010, was prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency's Defense Warning Office under the Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Applications program. It reviews fusion plasma physics, confinement methods and propulsion concepts that use aneutronic fusion fuels such as hydrogen and boron-11. It concludes that pulsed DPF or IEC thrusters may replace satellite ion thrusters in the near term. It also finds that aneutronic fusion propulsion will not be practical beyond the solar system without breakthrough propulsion physics.
From the source: Release of 2026-09-18 Incident: 11/1/10, Las Vegas, Nevada. Released with redactions. This document is a Defense Intelligence Reference Document (DIRD), a technical reference format used by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to capture baseline knowledge on a specific topic for later analytic use. DIRDs are best understood as reference and synthesis products rather than as original research. It is one of 38 DIRDs produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) between 2009 and 2011. Because AAWSAP’s scope permitted a broad range of supporting topics, not every DIRD in the series directly concerns aerospace systems or future threat assessment. The following summary reflects the DIRD’s scope and framing at the time of writing and should not be read as implying current validation of the concepts discussed. This DIRD revisits aneutronic fusion propulsion in a more systems-oriented manner, arguing that fusion concepts using low-neutron fuels such as proton-boron or helium-3 could become attractive for space propulsion because they reduce shielding burdens and may support direct conversion of charged-particle energy into thrust or onboard power. The report reviews the relevant fusion plasma physics and focuses on several candidate confinement approaches, then connects those concepts to possible applications in near-space, orbital, and interplanetary propulsion. It presents the most plausible nearer-term use as very high-power electric or plasma propulsion for satellites and deep-space missions rather than atmospheric flight or interstellar travel, while emphasizing that major obstacles remain in ignition, sustained confinement, system mass, power handling, fuel storage, launch integration, and end-to-end engineering.
UNCLASSIFIED/F(Hl 8FF1&1~1:: W§E 8HI::¥ Chapter 8: Endnotes ............................................................................................ 31 Figures Figure 1. Fusion Reaction Cross Sections vs. Temperature ..................................... 4 Figure 14. Comparison of Fusion, Nuclear-Thermal, and Chemical Propulsion for Figure 15. Thrust-to-Weight Ratio and Exhaust Velocity Regimes for Various Long- Figure 2. Magnetic Mirror Confinement .................................................................. 6 Figure 3. a) Tokamak and b) Stellarator Confinement ............................................ 6 Figure 4. Field-Reversed Configuration .................................................................. 7 Figure 5. IEC Fusor and Polywell Confinement Configurations ............................... 8 Figure 6. Magnetized Target Fusion Experiment at LANL. ..................................... 10 Figure 7. Dense Plasma Focus (Lawrenceville Plasma Physics) ............................ 10 Figure 8. Specific Power as a Function of Plasma Temperature of Fusion Rocket. 11 Figure 9. Colliding Beam Fusion Reactor .............................................................. 12 Figure 10. DPF Thruster System With Direct Conversion ...................................... 12 Figure 11. Magnetized Target Fusion Reactor ...................................................... 13 Figure 12. MHD Air-Breathing and Fusion Rocket Aerospace Plane ...................... 13 Figure 13. Design of an IEC Jet Thruster - Experimental Device ........................... 18 Same Payload....................................................................................................... 19 Range Space Propulsion Options.......................................................................... 19 Figure 16. Bussard Ram let.................................................................................. 20 Figure 17. Progress in Tokamak Magnetic Confinement Fusion ............................ 22 Figure 18. ITER Design Concept With BWR Size and Blanket Segment ................. 23 Figure 19. Experiments To Prove a Plasma Fusion Propulsion Concept ................ 28 Figure 20. Roadmap to Aneutronic Fusion Propulsion Development..................... 29 Tables Table 1: Principal Fusion Reactions ........................................................................... 3 Table 2: Fusion Peak Interaction Temperatures and Fusion Energy to X-rays.........4 Table 3: Fusion Ignition Temperatures.....................................................................5 Table 4: Advanced Fusion Concept Reactor Companies..........................................24 Table 5: Emerging Technologies ..............................................................................26 UNCLASSIFIED/FOR OFFICIO .. Wli:ili 8HLY iv
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Official release, from the pursue 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.