| A model using the TEXAS-NCV computer code is presented for the transport of dust and debris in a z-pinch driven explosive propagation of gas into vacuum. First, TEXAS-NC was improved, updated, and benchmarked against several experiments for quasi-one-dimensional shock propagation applications involving multi-component, multi-phase systems. Second, a vacuum transport model was developed and incorporated into TEXAS and benchmarked for adiabatic expansions and wall pressure histories at various dimensionless distances. This model eliminates the severe problem usually encountered with vacuum transport in Eulerian hydrodynamics codes, and gives TEXAS a rare set of capabilities that is not known to exist before. Third, TEXAS-NCV was used to model dust and debris transport in z-pinch driven experiments designed for application to the U.S. inertial fusion energy program. Results showed that if radioactive dust and debris is to be completely contained within the Z experiment chamber, explosive closures placed at the ends of the MITLs must complete the closure process in less than 1 ms. Substantially faster closure times will be required if the valves are to be placed closer to the center of the Z-pinch convolute or if magnetic effects during the z-pinch have already accelerated debris. |
