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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.
George H. Miley, V. Varadarajan
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 22 | Number 4 | December 1992 | Pages 425-438
Alpha-Particle Special | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A30078
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Adaptive control techniques can be applied to online gain tuning of tokamak thermokinetics. Here, a self-tuning control scheme is explored for both the plasma profile and power control. The distributed parameter system of the flux-surface-averaged one-dimensional transport equations is discretized by a nonlinear variational procedure. A finite-dimensional multiple-input/multiple-output control algorithm is derived using the linearized equations. A particular class of nonlinear three-parameter profiles is used for plasma density, temperature, and deuterium fraction profiles. Feedback gains are determined using a simplified minimum variance control law of self-tuning control. In the examples, normal multiple-output specifications for the plasma profile parameters for the density and power control are shown to be controllable by multiple-particle inputs alone.