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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.
C. A. Flanagan
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 8 | Number 1 | July 1985 | Pages 1297-1300
Next-Generation Device | Proceedings of the Sixth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (San Francisco, California, March 3-7, 1985) | doi.org/10.13182/FST85-A39947
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
One critical issue examined in the present phase of the International Tokamak Reactor (INTOR) has been an evaluation of the technical benefit of dividing up the design and component production tasks of all major advanced technologies among all participants. Two approaches were evaluated: (a) a “splitting” approach in which each country provides 1/4 of the components of each major system (e.g., 3 of 12 TF coils), (b) a “branching” approach in which each country provides all components of selected major systems (e.g., first country provides all TF coils, second country provides all torus sectors, etc.). Quantitative cost and schedule estimates were developed for each of the two approaches and compared to the cost and schedule of the entire device if it were produced only by one country. The results of the U.S. evaluation indicated that the ratio of total estimated cost to the “national” cost was 1.66 for “splitting” and 1.20 for “branching.” The cost per participant was 0.41 and 0.30, respectively. The increase in the construction schedule was estimated to be 2.6 years.