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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.
A. Robinson, L. El-Guebaly, D. Henderson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 2 | August 2011 | Pages 715-719
Nuclear Analysis & Experiments | Proceedings of the Nineteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) (Part 2) | doi.org/10.13182/FST11-A12469
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Currently, there is an ongoing international effort to develop and characterize W alloys that are suitable for fusion applications. In this report, five key W alloys were examined for the advanced divertor design of ARIES-ACT - the latest ARIES tokamak design. The most promising alloys appear to be W-1.1TiC and W-La2O3. At the end of the divertor lifetime (~4 years), the maintenance dose of these alloys very closely matches those of W with nominal impurities. Unfortunately, even with pure W, the divertor is not clearable, which indicates that it must be recycled or disposed of in a geological repository. The radiation damage and transmutation are expected to degrade the physical properties of any material. The radiation damage level in W is low compared to ferritic steel - a remarkable feature for tungsten. For ARIES-ACT operating conditions, transmutation of W does not appear to present a significant issue.