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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.
S. P. Gerhardt, D. Mastrovito, M. G. Bell, M. Cropper, D. A. Gates, E. Kolemen, J. Lawson, B. Marsala, J. E. Menard, D. Mueller, T. Stevenson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 61 | Number 1 | January 2012 | Pages 11-18
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A13336
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We have designed and constructed a system for control of the normalized (N) in the National Spherical Torus Experiment [M. Ono et al., Nucl. Fusion, Vol. 40, p. 557 (2000)]. A proportional-integral-derivative operator is applied to the difference between the present value of N (from real-time equilibrium reconstruction) and a time-dependent request in order to calculate the required injected power. This injected power request is then turned into modulations of the neutral beams. The details of this algorithm are described, including the techniques used to develop the appropriate control gains. Example uses of the system are shown.