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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.
G.-N. Luo, Q. Li, J. M. Chen, X. Liu, W. Liu, Z. J. Zhou, D. M. Yao
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 62 | Number 1 | July-August 2012 | Pages 9-15
PFC and FW Materials Issues | Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials, Part A: Fusion Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A14104
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A project to realize, in several years, a W/Cu divertor on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) with ITER-like plasma-facing component (PFC) configuration was launched at Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in 2010. The ITER-like configuration should withstand the rapid increase in particle and power impact onto the divertor and demonstrate the feasibility of the ITER design under practical long-pulse tokamak plasmas. The project could help not only EAST experiments, but also realize ITER PFC technology validation and bring answers in a timely manner for the ITER full-W divertor for the nuclear phase. Southwest Institute of Physics (SWIP) will have 10% of the first wall (FW) procurement package of the enhanced heat flux (EHF) type. The materials have been developed and characterized according to the ITER-grade material specifications, including vacuum hot pressing (VHP)-Be, CuCrZr alloy, and 316L(N)-IG forged blocks, and qualification testing of the VHP-Be tiles joining to the CuCrZr heat sink by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) has been carried out. Some Chinese universities have started to explore new grades of W materials, e.g., carbide or oxide dispersion strengthened fine grain W materials, and investigated their behavior under high heat loads.