The Effects of Central jet on the Ar-on-D Double-Shell gas Puff Z-Pinch Loads on Sandia Zr for Pulsed Neutron Source

摘要

A multi-material double-shell gas puff Z-pinch load design with a higher Z material on outer-shell, acting as a pusher and radiator, compressing on the inner-shell deuterium (D) have been suggested as a way to improve the thermal neutron yield over that of a pure D-on-D Z-pinch plasma. Recent multidimensional radiation MHD simulation studies of the loads, however, have shown that the outer-shell material break-THrough and push-out (BT-PO) of the inner-shell D plasma during the final stagnation stage of the Z-pinch implosion can adversely affect the neutron yield. In this study, we employ a multi-material version of the Mach+DDTCRE RMIID code to investigate the efficacy of the deuterium central jet in the mitigation of the BT-PO process towards an improvement in the thermal neutron yield of Sandia 8cm diameter Argon-on-D gas-puff Z-pinch loads. We will focus on the multidimensional structure, nonuniform gas distribution as well as the outer- and inner-shell material interaction on the implosion physics and dynamics of the Z-pinch loads, and characterize the neutron production performance of the Z-pinch loads as a function of total mass and/or mass ratio. A spectral dopant may also be added to enhance the understanding of the overall pinch dynamics.