IFE chamber walls: requirements, design options, and synergy with MFE plasma facing components

The wall of inertial fusion energy (IFE) chambers faces demanding conditions. IFE operation is cyclic in nature and following each micro-explosion, the chamber wall is subjected to a large flux of photons, energetic particles and neutrons. Key requirements are that: (i) the chamber wall accommodates the cyclic energy deposition while providing the required lifetime, and (ii) that after each shot the chamber is cleared and returned to a quiescent state in preparation for the target injection and the firing of the driver for the subsequent shot. This paper summarizes the IFE operating conditions, discusses their impact on the choice of chamber wall configuration, and identifies the key issues. Particular attention is given to identifying common issues and operating conditions between IFE and magnetic fusion energy (MFE) with the goal of maximizing the synergy between chamber wall design and R&D for MFE and IFE. 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.