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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.
Andrea M. Garofalo
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 44 | Number 4 | December 2003 | Pages 756-762
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST44-756
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A simple model is used to analyze the systems for feedback stabilization of the resistive wall mode (RWM) in proposed burning plasma experiments. In ITER, the presence of several conducting structures close to the control coils, but far from the plasma, leads to a slow feedback response time compared to the time scale of the RWM growth. In FIRE, the copper shell passive stabilizer sets a relatively long time scale for the RWM growth; therefore, the effects of higher resistivity structures close to the coils and far from the plasma are nearly negligible. RWM feedback control should be able to raise the stable N up to near the ideal-wall limit in FIRE with moderate requirements on the feedback electronics bandwidth.