CONCLUSIONS AND DIRECTIONS FROM THE OFE INERTIAL FUSION-REACTOR STUDIES

Two industry-led teams have each completed new Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) reactor studies under contract from the Office of Fusion Energy (OFE). Each team studied both a heavy-ion-indirect-driven and a KrF-laser-direct-driven reactor for electrical energy production. The reactor concepts, that will be described in other papers at this conference, are attractive and contain innovative approaches that would require development programs to implement. The "believability" of the reactor concepts could be an important issue in determining the level and nature of an IFE development program pursued by OFE. The performance of radiation-compressed fusion targets (gain curves), the required features of the drivers, the systems for delivery of targets and driver energy to the reactor chamber, and the systems for conversion of thermonuclear energy to electricity are all complex and subject to issues of technical credibility and feasibility. This paper will discuss the studies and the directions suggested by them. No strong conclusions will be drawn; the assessment of these studies and the meaning of such assessment for energy development is just beginning here.