Modeling of direct conversion of uranium fission fragments kinetic energy to laser radiation energy in argon-xenon dusty plasma containing uranium nanoparticles

9/01/2015 2015 - #02 Modelling processes at nuclear facilities

Slyunyaev M.N. Budnik A.P. Sipachev A.V.

https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2015.2.07

The use of active gas medium containing fine uranium particles compared with the traditionally used methods of heterogeneous nuclear pumping of active gas medium can increase the share of fission fragments energy from the condensed phase to thegas medium up to ten times or more. This creates prerequisites for increasing theefficiency of conversion of nuclear energy into optical radiation.

Scattering and absorption of laser radiation by an active medium containing fine uranium particles is a significant factor impeding the development of lasing in such a medium.

Recently, it was suggested to use the laser-active gas medium irradiated by neutrons and containing nanoclusters of uranium compounds. Then, numerical and theoretical studies have shown that it is possible to obtain amplification of laser radiation in such a medium [2-4].

Methods of mathematical simulation showed that during the generation of laser radiation in static argon-xenon gas environment irradiated by neutrons and containing uranium nanoparticles, the efficiency of conversion of the kinetic energy of the uranium fission fragments to the laser energy in ten times exceeds the efficiency of energy conversion during a heterogeneous pumping [7,8].

This article is devoted to the process of direct conversion of uranium fission fragments kinetic energy to laser radiation energy in the moving argon-xenon laser-active gas medium containing uranium nanoparticles.

The model of the space-time evolution of concentration distribution of the uranium nanoparticles injected into the cylindrical dust laser-active element and a method of model’s numerical solution were developed. The calculations of the space-time evolution of the uranium nanoparticles concentration distribution for different gas velocities and nanoparticles sizes were carried out.

Kinetic processes and amplifying properties of moving laser-active spatially inhomogeneous nuclear-induced containing uranium nanoparticles irradiated by neutrons argon-xenon medium were investigated.

According to the study, the gain value of the intensity of the laser radiation in the steady state exceeds a value of 7. Such a high figure suggests that suggested medium can be used not only in the nuclear-pumped lasers, but also in single-pass mode optical nuclear-pumped quantum amplifier.

References

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mathematical simulation transformation nuclear energy fission uranium fragments kinetic processes laser radiation moving plasma nanoparticles

Link for citing the article: Slyunyaev M.N., Budnik A.P., Sipachev A.V. Modeling of direct conversion of uranium fission fragments kinetic energy to laser radiation energy in argon-xenon dusty plasma containing uranium nanoparticles. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2015, no. 2, pp. 71-80; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2015.2.07 (in Russian).