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UMich introductory engineering course aims to revolutionize nuclear energy through community engagement
A new course at the University of Michigan offered by the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) Department seeks to address the lack of community engagement in the design of energy technologies by pioneering a socially engaged approach.
M. L. Spaeth, P. J. Wegner, T. I. Suratwala, M. C. Nostrand, J. D. Bude, A. D. Conder, J. A. Folta, J. E. Heebner, L. M. Kegelmeyer, B. J. MacGowan, D. C. Mason, M. J. Matthews, P. K. Whitman
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 69 | Number 1 | January-February 2016 | Pages 265-294
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-119
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) houses the world’s largest laser system, composed of 192 individual, 40-cm-aperture beamlines. The NIF laser routinely operates at ultraviolet (UV) fluences above 8 J/cm2, more than twice the (3ω only) damage threshold of commercially available UV-grade fused silica. NIF is able to maintain such high fluence operation by using an optics recycling loop strategy. Successful operation of the loop relies on a number of technologies specifically developed for NIF. One of the most important is the capability developed by LLNL and their vendors for producing highly damage-resistant optics. Other technologies developed for the optics recycle loop raise the operating point of NIF by keeping damage growth in check. LLNL has demonstrated the capability to sustain UV fused silica optic recycling rates of up to 40 optics per week. The optics are ready for reinstallation after a 3-week trip through a recycle loop where the damage state of each optic is assessed and repaired. The impact of the optics recycle loop has been profound, allowing the experimental program to routinely employ energies and fluences that would otherwise have been unachievable. Without the recycle loop, it is likely that the NIF fluence would need to be kept below the UV threshold for damage growth, ~4 J/cm2, thus keeping the energy delivered to the target significantly below 1 MJ. With the recycle loop implemented during the National Ignition Campaign, NIF can routinely deliver >1.8 MJ on target, an increase in operational capability of more than 100%. In this review, the enabling technological advances, optical performance, and operational capability implications of the optics recycle loop are discussed.