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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.
John F. Schivell, Charles E. Bush, D. K. Mansfield, Sidney S. Medley, Hyeon K. Park, F. J. Stauffer
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 15 | Number 4 | July 1989 | Pages 1520-1540
Technical Paper | Experimental Device | doi.org/10.13182/FST89-A25342
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Although the total radiated power in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor is often as high as 70% of the heating power, most of the radiation is concentrated near the surface of the plasma, and the interior loss is almost negligible. Fractional radiation loss declines during neutral beam heating. Under most interesting plasma conditions, the radiation profiles are dominated by asymmetrical peaks, which indicate locally intense edge radiation. As the high-density limit is approached, under most conditions, a bright band of radiation (a “marfe”) appears on the inner side of the plasma column. Marfe location is affected by toroidal field direction, neutral beam direction, and nearness to the high-density limit. Marfes have been observed to drift under the plasma column to the lower outside plasma edge. Marfes naturally develop into detached plasmas. In enhanced confinement discharges (“super-shots”), an unexplained peculiar bright band, distinct from a marfe, appears in the lower outside part of the vacuum vessel, outside of the limiter radius. In high-density pellet-fueled discharges, there is a central peak that shows evidence for inward impurity convection.