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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, Mujid S. Kazimi
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 3 | May 1992 | Pages 1845-1851
Plasma-Facing Component | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29987
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The divertor technology has become the focus of concern for prospective steady state tokamak reactors. The imposed heat flux and particle flux conditions cast doubt on the feasibility of any solid surface divertor. The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of the existing concepts of liquid metal divertors from both the physics and engineering points of view. It is found that lithium is not a favorable liquid metal due to the large tritium inventory that may develop in the form of solid hydride LiH. Gallium, on the other hand, does not form hydride within the temperature range of interest, and hence is considered a favorable material. Slowly flowing thin film and pool type divertors are found to be undesirable owing to the possible blistering erosion and resulting plasma contamination. The popular concept of self-cooled liquid metal film divertor suffers mainly from the linear MHD instability, in addition to other complicating factors such as the variation of the liquid metal electric property, dynamics of halo current, and the compatibility problem of insulator coating with the liquid metal. The liquid gallium droplet curtain divertor is evaluated to be the most feasible. However, unless an effective helium pumping scheme can be developed, the goal of controling the neutral recycling coefficient by liquid metal divertors can not be accomplished.