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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.
N. J. Fisch
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 65 | Number 1 | January 2014 | Pages 79-87
Lecture | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-682
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Several unsolved challenges in radio-frequency heating and current drive are highlighted. These include current drive in magnetic geometries in which the toroidal magnetic field cannot be assumed to be dominant, current start-up with hyperresistivity, current drive with oscillating parameters, and synergistic effects between current drive and alpha channeling. These challenges are not necessarily straightforward to address, and it is possible that the challenges cannot even be met, but were they met, at least in some cases, there is the potential of significant consequence.