OSIRIS AND SOMBRERO INERTIAL FUSION POWER-PLANT DESIGNS - SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

An 18 month study to evaluate the potential of inertial fusion energy (IFE) for electric power production has been completed. The primary ob jective of the study was to provide the US Department of Energy with a n evaluation of the potential of inertial fusion for electric power pr oduction. The study included the conceptual design of two inertial fus ion power plants. Osiris uses an induction linac heavy ion beam driver , and SOMBRERO uses a krypton fluoride laser driver. Conceptual design s were completed for the reactors, power conversion and plant faciliti es, and drivers. Environmental and safety aspects, technical issues, t echnology development needs, and economics of the final point designs were assessed and compared. This paper summarizes the results and conc lusions of the conceptual designs and results of the assessment studie s. We conclude that IFE has the potential of producing technically cre dible designs with environmental, safety, and economics characteristic s that are just as attractive as magnetic fusion. Realizing this poten tial will require additional research and development on target physic s, chamber design, target production and injection systems, and driver s.