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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.
José M. Martínez-Val, Mireia Piera
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 23 | Number 2 | March 1993 | Pages 218-226
Technical Note | ICF Target | doi.org/10.13182/FST93-A30149
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Two regimes of hydrodynamic evolution are found in the analysis of the performance of small-scale heavy-ion-driven targets. One leads to high density and high compression with moderate temperatures (∼1 keV) for driving energies of 100 kJ for 0.1-mg deuterium-tritium targets. Ignition can then be triggered by a second ion pulse (∼50 kJ). Breakeven could be obtained if a burnup fraction as small as 1% is obtained. The second regime leads to very high temperatures in the central part of the fuel, while the rest of the fuel remains at moderate temperatures (<1 keV), and the density is very low everywhere. Propagated ignition cannot occur in this case because of the small optical thickness of the compressed fuel (<0.1 g/cm2).