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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.
M. E. Sawan
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 66 | Number 1 | July-August 2014 | Pages 272-277
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-717
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The amount and type of gaseous and metallic transmutants produced in tungsten (W) when used as a plasma-facing armor in magnetic (MFE) and inertial (IFE) confinement fusion systems were determined and compared to those obtained following irradiation in fission reactors. Up to ∼8% metallic transmutants are generated at the expected lifetime of the fusion blanket. Irradiation in fission reactors to the same fast neutron fluence yields a much larger amount of metallic transmutation products than in fusion systems. While the dominant component in fusion systems is rhenium (Re), osmium (Os) is the main transmutation product in fission reactors. The impact on the W properties needs to be assessed. The results of this work will help guide irradiation experiments in fission reactors to properly simulate the conditions in fusion systems by possible direct implantation of transmutation products in irradiated samples. In addition, the results represent a necessary input for modeling activities aimed at understanding the expected effects on properties.