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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. A. Leuer, S. Ejima, F. J. Helton, J. C. Wesley
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 8 | Number 1 | July 1985 | Pages 1676-1681
Magnet Engineering | Proceedings of the Sixth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (San Francisco, California, March 3-7, 1985) | doi.org/10.13182/FST85-A40001
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A conceptual design of a poloidal field coil system for an ignition and long pulse burn experiment is presented. The coil is located internal to the toroidal field coil and immediately adjacent to the plasma chamber. The advantages this system offers over alternate designs are: sufficient volt-sec to initiate and sustain plasma current for a 300 sec burn, plasma configurations with MHD beta limits in excess of 10%, and the operational flexibility to accommodate a number of different plasma configurations including diverted discharges. For equal ignition margin a divertor configuration requires a larger toroidal field and lower plasma current than a limiter configuration. Power requirements are modest, and technology developments required for construction are within the present state-of-the-art.