Direct Energy Conversion from Flow Z-Pinch Exhaust Plume

Abstract

Direct energy conversion by means of Venetian blind collectors is simulated by a custom Particle-in-Cell code named ZaP-DEC. The model predicts ion trajectories and energy conversion efficiency given user-specified collector and plasma properties. ZaP-DEC is verified against a benchmark case, then applied to study energy conversion from two different exhaust plumes generated by sheared-flow-stabilized Z pinches. The first case utilizes plasma properties measured on the ZaP-HD experiment, while the second case simulates a notional fusion power plant operating at Q≫1. A new experiment is proposed to test the model's validity, and a new vacuum chamber extension for ZaP-HD is designed to contain the experiment. The feasibility of alternative direct energy conversion approaches is also explored.