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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.
Thomas J. Kissner, Ronald E. Wieneke
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 2 | March 1992 | Pages 583-587
Safety; Measurement and Accountability; Operation and Maintenance; Application | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29810
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Tritium Emissions Reduction Facility (TERF) is an automated process that continuously removes tritium from process gases before they are discharged to the atmosphere. Key control parameters include: temperature, pressure, flow, oxygen content, total combustibles, moisture concentrations and tritium concentrations. The procurement of an industrial, microprocessor-based Distributed Process Control System was justified for TERF due to the critical nature and complexity of the system. A detailed performance specification was prepared and submitted to industrial companies who had demonstrated past success in the field of process control and instrumentation. The contract was awarded to the Foxboro Company, of Foxboro, Ma., who developed the new Intelligent Automation (I/A) Distributed Process Control System. A primary goal of the design team was that the control system increase TERF reliability and availability by automatically controlling system operation and by assisting the operator in the diagnosis of problems, preventative maintenance, alarming, report generation, and long term storage of data. The comprehensive continuous monitoring of the TERF process provided by the Foxboro I/A Distributed System is expected to: (1) optimize the system operating parameters and control the process better than was previously possible, (2) provide more alerts and alarms to aid operators in diagnosing and responding to problems, and (3) record and organize process data more effectively than before.