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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.
Naeem A. Tahir, Dieter H. H. Hoffmann
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 33 | Number 2 | March 1998 | Pages 164-170
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST98-A26
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Various aspects of burn of advanced fuel inertial fusion targets are discussed, including pure deuterium as well as D-3He targets. In the case of deuterium fuel, the mass of tritium and 3He created in D-D reactions is calculated as a function of the fuel R, keeping the fuel mass constant (20 mg). It has been found that as the fuel R is varied from 40 to 80 g/cm2, the burn of 3He increases from 20 to 75%, whereas 95% of the tritium is consumed during the burn. An ignition temperature of 5 keV is considered in these calculations. It has also been found that introduction of a small fraction of tritium atoms (1%) uniformly distributed in the deuterium fuel allows a reduction in ignition temperature by more than a factor of 2. In the case of D-3He targets, an ignition temperature of the order of 10 keV is required, but introducing 1% tritium atoms in the fuel allows an ignition temperature of 3 keV.