Design and construction of actively cooled cathode for inertial electrostatic confinement approach to extend the operational time

Inertial electrostatic confinement fusion (IECF) devices are utilized for studying nuclear fusion reactions, particularly for fusion neutron production. A strong electric field between two transparent electrodes results in the formation and acceleration of ions toward the device's center. The energy level of these accelerated ions reaches tens of kilo-electron volts, sufficient to produce fast neutrons through nuclear fusion reactions when deuterium gas is used. Overheating due to collisions of high-energy ions with the cathode surface is a primary issue that limits the applied power and long-term stable operation of these devices. In this research, an actively cooled cathode was designed and constructed for the IR-IECF device. Deionized recirculating water was used as the coolant to reduce the cathode temperature. The cathode, connected to a high voltage power supply via a feedthrough, can prevent high voltage breakdown and melting at input powers exceeding three kilowatts. Both theoretical and experimental results show excellent agreement in heat removal during continuous operation.