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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.
L. C Cadwallader, M. A. Stolpe Gavett, L. Quintana
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 2 | March 1992 | Pages 518-522
Safety; Measurement and Accountability; Operation and Maintenance; Application | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29799
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Fusion facility safety and reliability/availability analyses require accurate component failure rate information to provide meaningful results. While fission reactor operating experience data may be adequate for some types of components, there are some data needs that are fusion-specific, such as tritium fueling and handling system information. This paper summarizes the results of a failure data analysis task on several components at Los Alamos National Laboratory's Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA). We took the failure reports and component operating information from the TSTA Failure/Maintenance Data Base. Calculated failure rates are on the same order of magnitude as screening fusion failure rate data, although a few failure rates were slightly higher. These new data should be of interest to fusion safety analysts and tritium systems designers.