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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
Yuri Igitkhanov, Boris Bazylev
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 349-353
Materials Development & Plasma-Material Interactions | Proceedings of the Nineteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) (Part 1) | doi.org/10.13182/FST11-A12378
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We have estimated the energy deposition of runaway electrons into the tungsten/EUROFER blanket structure for reactor DEMO conditions and calculated the consequent level of thermal erosion. Our simulations indicate that the heat generated by runaway electrons may pose a major lifetime limitation for the W armor. We find that the minimum thickness of W necessary to prevent EUROFER from stress destruction at high temperatures, min, could be already too large for an efficient cooling. Tungsten layers of thickness min would erode by surface melting and vaporization since the thermal conductivity time is much larger than expected exposure time to runaways.