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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.
T.J. McCarville, C.F. Carson, B.B. Glasgow, W.R. Meier
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 10 | Number 3 | November 1986 | Pages 1565-1570
Fusion Economic | doi.org/10.13182/FST86-A24955
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A system model for scaling the cost and performance of ICF point designs to different operating conditions has been developed. The model allows changes in various figures of merit to be examined as a function of selected operating conditions. As a result, S/kWe can be optimized as a function of net electric output. A detailed description of the algorithms1 and users guide2 can be obtained through LLNL. This report provides an overview of the philosophy that motivated the performance and cost models, and illustrates the model results with an example.