The National Ignition Facility and progress towards inertial fusion energy€¦ ·  ·...

The National Ignition Facility and progress

towards inertial fusion energy

Presented to: 2012 Annual DOE Laser Safety Workshop

Mike Dunne

Director, Inertial Fusion Energy

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344

16th May 1960 – the birth of the laser

Schawlow Maiman

LLNL 1960 3 days later proposal to use lasers for fusion

energy

The NIF facility is running 24/7 with shot reliability of about 99%

Glass Slabs LRU

NIF/LMJ laser Glass

KDP Rapid Growth 2006 Frequency Conversion

Crystals (KDP)

(2 million carats)

Beth holding the target

Moses_Royal_Society_9/7/11 11

Target chamber in the air

In the target chamber

Moses_Royal_Society_9/7/11 15

Moses_All_Hands_100511

We are steadily increasing the laser energy and power

available for ignition experiments: fy09

Moses_All_Hands_100511

We are steadily increasing the laser energy and power

available for ignition experiments: fy10

Moses_All_Hands_100511

We are steadily increasing the laser energy and power

available for ignition experiments: fy10

Moses_All_Hands_100511

We are steadily increasing the laser energy and power

available for ignition experiments: fy12

Moses_All_Hands_100511

NIF recently exceeded its design goal of

sustainable operations at 1.8MJ / 500TW

• NIF has been steadily increasing

its laser energy and power

• Now operating 24/7 with

exceptional reproducibility and

reliability

• 1.855 MJ, 522 TW achieved in a

NIC-relevant pulse format

• The NIF has intrinsic capability

to continue on this growth path

for several more years

The laser energy and power

available for experiments have

been steadily increasing

March 15, 2012 1.875 MJ 411 TW

July 5, 2012 1.855 MJ 522 TW

Plans are being developed for enhanced NIF performance, via incremental improvements

25 2012-030585.ppt

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

FY12 Phs I Phs II3ω

MJ

5 ns3 ns2.2 ns

FY12 Mid-FY16 End-FY17

Paul Wegner Slide

NIC partners

Moses - NIF&PS & WCI DRC Revew, August 14-17, 2011 28

Nic diagnostic map

Moses_All_Hands_100511

Moses_All_Hands_100511

We produce a variety of target types

Dunne — NIWeek 2012, August 7, 2012 31 2012-039280.ppt

A wide range of

targets are used to

study ICF physics

Secretary Chu

Burlingame Country Club__ March 30, 2012

Integrated performance – progress and status

LIFE BOX

Pam Installation

NIF-0611-22135.ppt Moses, All Hands, June 7, 2011 43

High repetition rate solid – state laser (25 kW)

Detailed propagation simulation (based on measured NIF

optics aberrations) shows excellent performance

Burlingame Country Club__ March 30, 2012