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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.
H. Attaya
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 19 | Number 3 | May 1991 | Pages 1331-1336
Result of Large Experiment and Plasma Engineering | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29527
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Manganese-stabilized steels have been proposed as candidate structural materials for fusion reactors, because they have been perceived as “low-activation” materials. Depending on the neutron spectra and the neutron fluence, the decay heat in Mn-stabilized steels is about 3–7 times larger than that in the Ni-stabilized steels. This large amount of decay heat could have serious impact in the case of the loss of coolant accident (LOCA). A two-dimensional LOCA model has been used to examine the LOCA temperature response of the manganese steel when utilized in an earlier U.S. design of ITER. The results show that the Mn-steel has approached its melting temperature by less than 100°C after about 7 hours from the onset of LOCA. On the other hand, the results for the nickel stabilized steel alloy 316SS show that the maximum temperature reached is 532°C in about the same time.