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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.
H. Kislev, M. A. Gundersen, G. H. Miley
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 20 | Number 4 | December 1991 | Pages 843-849
Electrostatic Confined Fusion | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A11946947
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Inertial Electrostatic Confined (IEC) fusion is a potentially attractive scheme for compact neutron-lean fusion reactors suitable for marine propulsion and deep space travel. Recent studies have indicated that efficient IEC devices require pulsed ion sources. However, existing pulsed ion diode schemes (e.g. Magnetically Insulated Diode (MID)) are not optimized for IEC applications. We propose a novel MID scheme which utilizes a modified Back. Lighted Thyratron (BLT) switch, both as a repetitive switch and a repetitive ion source. The extractable electron beam current from a fully developed BLT discharge was simulated using a simple electron trajectory integrator. The model's results appear to be in good agreement with the measured electrons escape fractions. The electron beam's escape fraction appears to be much higher when using a newly proposed ring-BLT configuration. The detailed results and additional potential applications of the proposed BLT configurations are also included.