Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems Final Report Release (prepublication version), February 20, 2013 The final report of the NRC Committee on the Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems, An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion, was released on February 20, 2013 in prepublication form. The report is available to read online and for free download through the National Academies Press web site. PDF Report: An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Other dissemination items: |
Summary The energy produced by nuclear fusion has the potential to provide a low-carbon, base-load source of electricity; however, significant scientific and engineering efforts are still required before the feasibility of a commercial fusion plant can be established. Initiating fusion based upon magnetic confinement and inertial confinement of the fusion plasma have been studied for decades. In inertial confinement fusion (ICF), a driver delivers energy to the surface of a pellet of fuel, heating and compressing it. There are many approaches for initiation fusion using inertial confinement. For example, different driver concepts have very different operating conditions and characteristics. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each approach is central to the effort to develop IFE as a power source. Given the current level of activity in ICF research, now is an appropriate time to consider how to proceed regarding inertial fusion as a potential power source. An NRC committee and panel will be formed to provide findings and recommendations to advise DOE on the development of an R&D roadmap for inertial fusion energy. All the approaches to ICF will require much investigation and will need to be considered in any long-term R&D strategy. This study will be carried out by an NRC committee over a period of 21 months.
Project Information Statement of Task The Committee will prepare a report that will: - Assess the prospects for generating power using inertial confinement fusion;
- Identify scientific and engineering challenges, cost targets, and R&D objectives associated with developing an IFE demonstration plant; and
- Advise the U.S. Department of Energy on its development of an R&D roadmap aimed at creating a conceptual design for an inertial fusion energy demonstration plant.
The Committee will also prepare an interim report. A Panel on Fusion Target Physics will serve as a technical resource to the committee. Committee Members and NRC Staff Ronald C. Davidson, Co-Chair, Princeton University
Gerald L. Kulcinski, Co-Chair, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Charles Baker, University of California, San Diego [Retired]
Roger Bangerter, E. O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [Retired]
Riccardo Betti, University of Rochester
Jan Beyea, Consulting in the Public Interest
Robert L. Byer, Stanford University
Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ad Astra Rocket Company
Steven C. Cowley, United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Richard L. Garwin, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center
David Hammer, Cornell University
Joseph S. Hezir, EOP Group, Inc.
Kathyrn McCarthy, Idaho National Laboratory
Lawrence T. Papay, PQR, LLC
Ken Schultz, General Atomics [Retired]
Andrew M. Sessler, E. O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
John Sheffield, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Thomas Anthony Tombrello, Jr, California Institute of Technology
Dennis G. Whyte, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jonathan S. Wurtele, University of California, Berkeley
Rosa Yang, Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.
Malcolm McGeoch, Consultant, PLEX, LLC NRC Staff
Jim Lancaster, Director, Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA)
James Zucchetto, Director, Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES)
Donald Shapero, Senior Scholar, BPA
David Lang, Study Director and BPA Program Officer
Greg Eyring, Program Officer, DEPS
Jonathan Yanger, Senior Project Assistant, BEES
Erin Boyd, Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellow Upcoming Events There are currently no scheduled events. Past Events February 22-23, 2012
Meeting 6
San Diego, CA
Meeting information and agenda (will be available soon on the Academies' Current Project System)
Meeting presentations will be available by request through the Academies' Public Access Records Office. Some presentations are available online at an external site not controlled by or associated with the Academies. October 31-November 2, 2011
Meeting 5
Washington, DC
Meeting information and agenda (available on the Academies' Current Project System)
Meeting presentations are available by request through the Academies' Public Access Records Office. Some presentations are available online at an external site not controlled by or associated with the Academies. June 15-17, 2011
Meeting 4
Rochester, NY
Meeting information and agenda (available on the Academies' Current Project System)
Meeting presentations are available by request through the Academies' Public Access Records Office. Some presentations are available online at an external site not controlled by or associated with the Academies. March 30-April 1, 2011
Meeting 3
Albuquerque, NM
Meeting information and agenda (available on the Academies' Current Project System)
Meeting presentations are available by request through the Academies' Public Access Records Office. Some presentations are available online at an external site not controlled by or associated with the Academies. January 29-31, 2011
Meeting 2
San Ramon, CA
Meeting information and agenda (available on the Academies' Current Project System)
Meeting presentations are available by request through the Academies' Public Access Records Office. Some presentations are available online at an external site not controlled by or associated with the Academies. December 16-17, 2010
Meeting 1
Washington, DC
Meeting information and agenda (available on the Academies' Current Project System)
Meeting presentations are available by request through the Academies' Public Access Records Office. Some presentations are available online at an external site not controlled by or associated with the Academies. Community Input & Background Documents Please send comments or suggestions to the committee via e-mail at IFECommittee@nas.edu. Community input will be posted on this Web site as it is received. A link to a list of all of the documents that have been received by the committee from external sources can be found here. To obtain any of these documents, requests must be made through the National Academies' Public Access Records Office. Panel on the Assessment of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Targets The Panel on the Assessment of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Targets serves as a technical resource to the committee. More information on the panel is available on its webpage and in the National Academies' Current Projects System. Sponsor The project is pleased to acknowledge support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Energy, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Academies' Current Projects System The National Academies' Current Projects System maintains the public record of a committees' activities compliant to Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Visit the committee to Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems' Current Project page for more information. |
