Superinsulation for Ductwork

65253 It is desirable to mass produce low cost targets for Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) by a fully automated process. This project will adapt and improve techniques currently in development for producing targets for the National Ignition Facility for this application. In particular, an automated process will be developed to form and coat a polyimide mandrel until the desired wall thickness is obtained. The polyimide will then be imidized in place to achieve the desired material properties. In Phase I, mandrels will be formed using an innovative bubble blowing technique leading to in situ levitation and curing. Coating and curing parameters will be varied to determine an optimal process. The coated, cured capsules will be characterized. To the extent possible, production processes will be automated to show the feasibility of fabricating target capsules within the desired cost constraints. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by awardee: Commercialization of the target fabrication process should speed the development of fusion reactors for producing electric power at an economical price. Mass-produced target capsules could cost less than $0.30 each.