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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.
Chungpin Liao, Brian Labombard, Barton Lane, Mujid S. Kazimi
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 1 | January 1992 | Pages 41-51
Technical Paper | Divertor System | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29704
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It is widely recognized that results from divertor models can be quite sensitive to the boundary conditions that are assumed at the divertor neutralizer plate. However, some past models assumed electron and ion heat transmission coefficients with little justification. In fact, energy and momentum fluxes from backscattered neutral deuterium and tritium atoms can significantly contribute to the energy and momentum balance of the divertor plasma and consequently affect the estimates of steady-state plasma conditions. In illustration of this point, a two-point model similar to that of Galambos and Peng is rederived, including momentum and energy sources from charge-exchange and a self-consistent fluid treatment of the sheath heat transmission coefficients. Divertor conditions associated with the International Tokamak Reactor (INTOR) and International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)-like fusion reactors are estimated, and the effects of including the backscattered fluxes are discussed.