Impulse Modeling and Characterization of Damage-Resistant Chamber Walls for Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE)

70509 In order to design survivable inertial fusion energy chamber wall structures and to design the condensing systems which restore the chamber vacuum, it is necessary to develop validated material models that can define X-ray induced impulse, ablation depths, and total ablated mass. There is an almost total lack of relevant materials data and there are no proven experimental techniques for the acquisition of these data. This program will define the impulse characteristics of candidate chamber wall materials by measuring X-ray transient material responses induced by Plasma Radiating Sources (PRS). Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of (1) providing diagnostics to accurately define the X-ray stimulus generated by a Plasma Radiating Source; (2) providing a debris mitigation system that allows X-ray induced transient material responses to be measured in a Plasma Radiating Source environment; and (3) providing accurate measurements of blowoff impulse induced by the photon output of a Plasma Radiating Source. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Chamber wall material properties must be known before a survivable reactor chamber can be designed. The measurement technology for the X-ray induced transient responses should be applicable to a broad range of problems including automobile crashes, counter-terrorism research, and armor development.