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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.
J. D. Galambos, L. John Perkins
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 25 | Number 2 | March 1994 | Pages 176-181
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/FST94-A30266
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
If the next-step International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is designed to operate at finite energy multiplication (Q ∼ 10 to 20), as opposed to ignition (Q ∼ ∞), appreciable reductions in size and cost will result. Ignition will be attainable in such a “high-Q targeted” device under slightly enhanced confinement conditions. For example, with the nominal design guidelines from the ITER Conceptual Design Activity (CDA), designing for Q = 15 instead of ignition results in ∼20% savings in size and cost. Ignition would still be achievable in such a reduced-size device if the L-mode energy confinement enhancement factor (i.e., H factor) is ∼15% higher than the assumed nominal value of 2.0. This size/cost impact is large compared to other sensitivities, and the range of H-fact or improvement needed to recoup ignition is small compared to the uncertainty in the confinement scalings themselves.