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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.
Richard F. Mattas
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 19 | Number 3 | May 1991 | Pages 1487-1492
ITER | Proceedings of the Ninth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (Oak Brook, Illinois, October 7-11, 1990) | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29551
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The performance of the ITER first wall and divertor have been analyzed using the Fusion Lifetime Prediction (FLIP) code. The code is a one-dimensional finite difference code which calculates the changes in properties, stress, strain, and temperature overtime for plate structures. The results indicate that the first wall should be able to accommodate up to ∼0.6 MW/m2 heat flux for the reference operating conditions. At much higher levels, fatigue and cracking are predicted to lead to rapid failure. The loss of ductility in irradiated austenitic stainless steel at low temperatures is a concern which may limit operating life. The results of the divertor analysis show that a bare, 2 mm thick plate of Nb-1Zr or TZM can accommodate fluxes of 15–20 MW/m2 for the ITER conditions. Duplex structures composed of 2 mm of tungsten on 2mm of Nb-1Zr or TZM are limited to 8–10 MW/m2.