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RIC panel discusses pathway to fusion commercialization
Fusion leaders at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual Regulatory Information Conference discussed the path forward for regulating the burgeoning fusion industry. The speakers discussed government and private industry initiatives in the United States and United Kingdom, with a focus on efforts shaping the near-term deployment of commercial fusion machines.
A recurring theme was the need to explain the difference between fission and fusion. Representatives from the Department of Energy and Type One Energy highlighted this as an important distinction for regulators, as it will allow fusion to undergo its own independent maturation process for developing standards and regulations in the same way that fission has. Lea Perlas, Fusion Program director at the Virginia Department of Health, said that confusion between fission and fusion has been a common cause for misplaced concerns among community members surrounding Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ proposed fusion plant site near Richmond, Va.
T.Tone, N.Fujisawa, Y.Seki, H.Iida, K.Tachikawa, M.Sugihara, A.Minato, S.Nishio, T.Yamamoto, K.Kitamura, K.Ueda, S.Saito, R.Shimada, Y.Matsuda, Y.Naruse, S.Shimamoto, S.Tamura, M.Yoshikawa, K.Tomabechi
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 4 | Number 2 | September 1983 | Pages 573-578
Fusion System Studies | doi.org/10.13182/FST83-A22924
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Conceptual design studies of the Fusion Experimental Reactor (FER) have been performed. The FER has an objective of achieving self-ignition and demonstrating engineering feasibility as a next generation tokamak to JT-60. Various concepts of the FER have been considered. The reference design is based on a double-null divertor. Optional design studies with some attractive features based on advanced concepts such as pumped limiter and RF current drive have been carried out. Key design parameters are; fusion power of 440 MW, average neutron wall loading of 1MW/m2, major radius of 5.5m, plasma minor radius of 1.1m, plasma elongation of 1.5, plasma current of 5.3MA, toroidal beta of 4%, toroidal field on plasma axis of 5.7T and tritium breeding ratio of above unity.
