UC San Diego a Key Part of New Project Led by General Atomics to Advance Fusion Energy
The inertial fusion energy project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and includes the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the SLAC National Accelerator Lab, and Colorado State University
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The University of California San Diego is part of a new research partnership led by San Diego-based General Atomics that was recently awarded funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The project, called the Target Injector Nexus for Experimental Development (TINEX), aims to overcome critical obstacles in developing and scaling up inertial fusion power plants.
It is one of six awards, collectively totalling $107 million, made by the DOE as part of the Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives.
"The TINEX project will be important for our collective efforts to make inertial fusion energy practical,” said mechanical engineering professor Javier E. Garay, director of the Fusion Engineering Institute at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
It is an excellent example of the continued momentum of fusion engineering and science here at UC San Diego, in collaboration with General Atomics and the broader fusion ecosystem in the region, the state and the nation, Garay added.
“We are excited to use the TINEX collaboration to bring fusion energy closer to commercialization,” said Neil Alexander, director of Inertial Fusion Energy for General Atomics Energy Group and principal investigator on the project. “Developing this technology has been a lifelong passion for many because it has the potential to provide a sustainable, long-term energy source for humanity’s future needs. I am excited to have UCSD in this FIRE Collaboration taking next steps in the development of fusion power.”
Professor Farhat Beg is the principal investigator for the UC San Diego portion of the project.
Inertial fusion and laser targets
Inertial fusion energy relies on high-power lasers hitting small targets made of frozen deuterium and tritium to create the extreme pressures and temperatures that lead to fusion. A number of obstacles stand in the way of building inertial fusion energy power plants that can be connected to the power grid – including a series of challenges related to the lasers and targets.
To become commercially successful, these power plants will have to shoot lasers at five to eight targets per second inside a fusion chamber. Existing experimental facilities take a handful of shots a day. Researchers at UC San Diego, led by Professor Farhat Beg, Co-Director of Fusion Engineering Institute, will work to improve the systems that inject the targets into the fusion chambers, with the goal of dramatically increasing performance.
In addition, debris is generated when powerful lasers hit the targets. These debris can damage the sensors, as well as the optic used to fire lasers at the targets. Beg and colleagues will work to find ways to mitigate this damage.
Engineers will also have to develop control systems and algorithms that train these lasers on the target with extreme precision. At UC San Diego, researchers from the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), part of the School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences, will be leading the application of AI/machine learning to laser targeting systems and interpreting experiment diagnostics.
"We are very eager to get started on application of AI/ML for the FIRE project. We have been working with GA researchers on the design of AI/ML models for on-shot pulse shape reconstruction at the GALADRIEL Laser Facility at GA, and that will be very useful for this AI/ML research,” said Amit Majumdar, Director of the Data Enabled Scientific Computing Division at SDSC.
Workforce development
UC San Diego, General Atomics and the entire TIMEX will work together on inspiring and developing the workforce necessary to run fusion power plants.
“Our undergraduate and graduate students will get unique experiences by learning about inertial fusion energy technologies; and gain hands-on experience working with targets, diagnostic devices and lasers,” said Beg, who is also a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Jacobs School.
In addition to UC San Diego, General Atomics is partnering with SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University, Colorado State University, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The TINEX collaboration also includes an industrial council of leading inertial fusion power plant companies, including Xcimer Energy, Marvel Fusion, Longview Energy Systems, LaserFusionX, HB11, Focused Energy, and Blue Laser Fusion.
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