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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.
Stephan A. Letts, April E. H. Nissen, Pascal J. Orthion, Steven R. Buckley, Evelyn Fearon, Christopher Chancellor, C. Chad Roberts, Bryan K. Parrish, Robert C. Cook
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 41 | Number 3 | May 2002 | Pages 268-277
Technical Paper | Fourteenth Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST02-A17912
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Recent progress made at LLNL on fabricating NIF scale polyimide capsules using vapor deposition techniques is detailed. Our major focus has been on improving the capsule surf ace finish through better understanding of the origin of surface roughness created during the deposition process and implementation of a post-deposition vapor smoothing procedure prior to imidization. We have determined that the most important factors during the deposition process that impact surface finish include mandrel quality, monomer mixing, selfshadowing, and abrasion. We have shown that high rate deposition (above 10 μm/h) is effective at reducing roughness, which we believe is due to the shorter total time of shell agitation in the bouncer pan. By adjusting the coating conditions, coatings up to 160 μm thick have been reproduc-My fabricated with 300 nm RMS roughness. Solvent vapor smoothing, a new technique also developed at LLNL, further improves the surface to 30 nm RMS.