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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.
Han Zhang, Peter H. Titus, Robert Ellis, Soren Harrison, Rui Vieira
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 64 | Number 2 | August 2013 | Pages 250-254
Plasma-Material Interactions | Proceedings of the Twentieth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE-2012) (Part 1), Nashville, Tennessee, August 27-31, 2012 | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-A18085
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Alcator C-Mod is planning an upgrade to its outer divertor. The upgrade is intended to correct the existing outer divertor alignment with the plasma, and to operate at elevated temperatures. Higher temperature operation will allow study of edge physics behavior at reactor relevant temperatures. The outer divertor and tiles will be capable of operating at 600 °C. Longer pulse length, together with the plasma and RF heat of 9 MW, and the inclusion of heater elements within the outer divertor produces radiative energy which makes the sustained operation much more difficult than before. An ANSYS model was built for the global thermal analysis of C-Mod. It models the radiative surfaces inside the vessel and between the components, and also includes plasma energy deposition. Different geometries have been simulated and compared. Results show that steady state operation with the divertor at 600 °C is possible with no damage to major vessel internal components. The differential temperature between inner divertor structure, or "girdle" and inner vessel wall is ~70 °C. This differential temperature is limited by the capacity of the studs that hold the inner divertor backing plates to the vessel wall. At a 70 °C temperature differential the stress on the studsis within allowable limits. The thermal model was then used for a stress pass to quantify vessel shell stresses where thermal gradients are significant.