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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.
Y. Hirooka, T. Oishi, H. Sato, K. A. Tanaka
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 2 | August 2011 | Pages 804-808
Computational Tools, Modeling & Validation | Proceedings of the Nineteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) (Part 2) | doi.org/10.13182/FST11-A12484
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Along with pellet implosions, the interior of an inertial fusion reactor will be exposed to intense and short pulse power fluxes, leading to materials ablation. Ablated materials will either collide with each other in the axis-of-symmetry region or be re-deposited elsewhere in the target chamber. The present work is intended to investigate the behavior of colliding ablation plasma plumes and that of materials re-deposition in hydrogenic atmosphere. Laser-ablation plasma plumes of carbon are set to collide with each other in a laboratory-scale experimental setup. Results indicate that carbon cluster ions are formed, including C2+ C3+ C4+ C5+ and C6+, some of which grow into aerosol in the form of micro/nano carbon structure. Also, it has been found that ablated carbon and hydrogen can form co-deposited layers with the H/C ratio, reaching the order of 0.1.