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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.
Charles D. Scott, John E. Mrochek, Timothy C. Scott, Gordon E. Michaels, Eugene Newman, Milica Petek
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 18 | Number 1 | August 1990 | Pages 103-114
Technical Note | Cold Fusion | doi.org/10.13182/FST90-A29235
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Excess heat and apparent increases in the neutron and gamma-ray count rates have been observed in a series of tests performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to study the electrolysis of heavy water in the presence of palladium cathodes. For these tests, LiOD at a concentration of 0.1 to 1 N in D2O was used in an insulated glass electrochemical cell in which the temperature was controlled and heat was removed by flowing water in a cooling jacket. Results of two of the tests, one of which lasted for over 1900 h, are reported. In the latter test, an internal D2-O2 recombiner was incorporated into the cell to give a closed system without off-gas. Excess power, usually in the range of 5 to 10%, was detected for periods of many hours. Some of these events were initiated and could be extended by system perturbations. On three separate occasions, the mean neutron count rate exceeded the background by statistically significant values; one of these was apparently coincident with an extended period of excess heat generation. Increases in the gamma-ray count rates were apparently also coincident with two of the periods of excess neutrons.