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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.
K. A. D. Obrey, F. Fierro, J. Martinez, R. Randolph, D. W. Schmidt
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 63 | Number 2 | March-April 2013 | Pages 247-251
Technical Paper | Selected papers from 20th Target Fabrication Meeting, May 20-24, 2012, Santa Fe, NM, Guest Editor: Robert C. Cook | doi.org/10.13182/FST63-2-247
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Three recent experimental campaigns at Los Alamos National Laboratory have required unique application of traditional machining techniques to manufacture the components. For pRad experiments at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANCE), unique planar targets with varying profiles required unique fixturing: a custom programming software to create concentric rings with a 2-deg taper that had five different sine waves machined across the face. Also, experiments using P8 modulated capsules for Asymmetric Burn Experiment (ABEX) experiments at Omega made use of a water-soluble ultraviolet-curable glue, which was used for holding and locating purposes during machining operations to produce an indicating datum, as well as a custom fixturing system, which allowed the ability to apply the impression gum from behind. Finally, for the milling of a 125-m-thick silica aerogel for dense-plasma equation-of-state experiments, we used an ultraprecision milling machine with a high-speed spindle and precise positional accuracy that permits micrometer depth of cuts at higher feed rates, which allowed for a reduction in machining time.