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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.
Norman Elliott, Cris W. Barnes, Steven H. Batha, Robert D. Day, Joyce Elliott, Peter Gobby, Veronica Gomez, Douglas Hatch, Nicholas E. Lanier, Glenn R. Magelssen, Ruben Manzanares, Ron Perea, Timothy Pierce, Gerald Rivera, David Sandoval, John M. Scott, Warren Steckle, David L. Tubbs, Stephen Rothman, Colin Horsfield, A. Michael Dunne, Kenneth W. Parker
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 41 | Number 3 | May 2002 | Pages 196-202
Technical Paper | Fourteenth Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST02-A17899
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The production of cylindrical targets involves numerous steps. These steps are shared in common with many other types of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) targets but no other single target encompasses such a wide range of fabrication techniques. These targets consist of a large number of individual parts, virtually all fabricated from commercially purchased raw material. As an example, the polystyrene used is synthesized in house from purchased monomer material. This material must be polymerized, purified, characterized and put into solution before it is even first used in the making of a target. Because virtually every manufacturing and assembly process we currently use is involved in the production of these targets, this paper is written as a way documenting the methods used.