March 17, 2014

NNSA OUTLINES GOALS FOR NIF IN FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

By ExchangeMonitor

Stymied in its attempts to achieve ignition last year, the National Nuclear Security Administration has shied away from setting an exact date for reaching the elusive goal at the National Ignition Facility. But budget documents released this week indicate that the agency expects to demonstrate thermonuclear burn that would enhance the uses of the National Ignition Facility for the stockpile by 2019. The agency said in a December report to Congress that it would take until 2015 to explore different approaches to achieving ignition at the facility while rebalancing the types of shots on the laser in favor of shots tailored for the Stockpile Stewardship Program. NNSA spokesman Josh McConaha said if ignition isn’t achieved by 2015, the agency “may re-assess the timeframe” for demonstrating an “advanced ignition platform,” which McConaha said would include increased gain and stable neutron yields.

The Obama Administration is requesting $401 million for the Inertial Confinement and Fusion (ICF) campaign in Fiscal Year 2014, a $64 million cut from funding established by a Continuing Resolution in FY 2013 (before sequestration cuts). Funding for the campaign is expected to dip to $345.6 million by FY 2018 as the agency transitions NIF to a user facility, where external researchers use up to one-third of the time on the laser and provide a source of funding for the facility. “The strategic goals of the ICF Campaign are to: 1) maintain excellence in HED [high energy density] and ignition science to underpin Stockpile Stewardship; 2) provide experimental capabilities to improve codes, models, and scientific understanding required for the improved predictive capability set out in the PCF; 3) develop a burning plasma and a high yield platform for physics applications of ignition, and 4) attract, train, and retain high-quality technical staff that will underpin the future nuclear weapons enterprise,” the NNSA said in budget documents. “Funding will be adjusted as needed to provide the capabilities required to support the stockpile.”

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