Thermofluid simulation of hydrogen isotopologue mixtures during the solidification process

Jiaqi Zhang*, Akifumi Iwamoto, Keisuke Shigemori, Masanori Hara, Kohei Yamanoi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A typical inertial confinement fusion target comprises a central deuterium-tritium (D-T) gas surrounded by a solid D-T layer inside an outer ablator shell. However, because of the isotope effect, fractionation of the hydrogen isotopologues can occur during the solidification process. This inhomogeneity in the solid D-T layer may lead to a deterioration in the fusion reaction. Thus, effective methods are required to characterize isotopologue distribution and homogeneity in solid D-T layers. The distribution of isotopologues in a solid hydrogen mixture can be simulated numerically using computational fluid dynamics. In this study, thermofluid simulations of the mixture's solidification process were performed to investigate the mechanism behind component distribution and to analyze the factors affecting the homogeneity. A numerical simulation was conducted to model inhomogeneity formation during the solidification of hydrogen isotopologue mixtures in a 3D wedge-shaped cavity. The simulations revealed inhomogeneities in H2-D2, D2-T2, and D2-DT-T2 mixtures during solidification. For an H2-D2 mixture, the simulation showed good agreement with experimental results, validating the computational model. These simulation methods will be used for homogeneity analysis of the solid D-T layer in fuel pellets.

Original languageEnglish
Article number114827
JournalFusion Engineering and Design
Volume212
DOIs
StatePublished - 2025/03

Keywords

  • Hydrogen isotopologue
  • Inertial confinement fusion target
  • Isotopologue fractionation
  • Thermofluid simulation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • General Materials Science
  • Mechanical Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Thermofluid simulation of hydrogen isotopologue mixtures during the solidification process'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this