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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.
R. Raman, T. Brown, L. A. El-Guebaly, T. R. Jarboe, B. A. Nelson, J. E. Menard
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 68 | Number 3 | October 2015 | Pages 674-679
Technical Paper | Proceedings of TOFE-2014 | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-976
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Economics, design simplifications, and design optimizations, may require a Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) based on an ST or AT concept to generate the plasma currents required for initial plasma start-up to be produced without reliance on the conventional central solenoid. The method of Transient Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) has been successfully used on the HIT-II device and on the thirty times larger in volume Proof-of-Principle NSTX device, to generate over 200 kA of plasma current, and to demonstrate the physics capability of this concept for the generation of substantial amounts of plasma currents in larger devices. The conceptual design of a transient CHI system for a ST-FNSF (BT = 3 T, R = 1.7 m, A = 1.7, Ip = 10 MA) is described, in which the projected start-up current generation potential is about 2 MA.