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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.
Nancy L. Schwertz, Myron A. Hoffman
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 4 | Number 3 | November 1983 | Pages 479-490
Technical Papers | Blanket Engineering | doi.org/10.13182/FST83-A22797
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The performance potential of a heat pipe designed specifically to operate in the high magnetic fields of a fusion reactor is investigated analytically. The heat pipe has a thin, flat cross section aligned parallel to the magnetic field so as to reduce the eddy currents and the resultant magnetohydrodynamic pressure drops in the liquid wick flow. The flat heat pipes are used to cool a pool of liquid lithium (or lithium-lead eutectic) in the blanket that surrounds the central-cell plasma of a tandem mirror fusion reactor. Calculations indicate that this new heat pipe design may be able to transport up to ∼6800 W/cm2 of condenser cross-sectional area in a 2-T magnetic field. This is considerably higher than the 420 W/cm2 capability of a conventional cylindrical heat pipe of similar dimensions employing a channel wick and operating in the same 2-T field.