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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.
Haruhiko Himura, Shigefumi Okada, Seiichi Goto
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 27 | Number 3 | April 1995 | Pages 345-348
Compact Torus (Field-Reversed Configuration, Spheromak) Concepts | doi.org/10.13182/FST95-A11947102
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Translation dynamics of field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas are studied in the FRC Injection Experiment (FIX) machine. FRC plasmas have been formed in, and launched from, a field-reversed theta-pinch source, and subsequently translated into reduced external magnetic fields. When translated into an adjacent confinement region, incident velocity of the formed FRC exceeds the Alfven velocity. Moreover, the translated FRC cools less than the prediction of an adiabatic theory. The plasma reflects from an external mirror, and some of its axial kinetic energy is lost during every reflection. In this reflection process, significant plasma heating is observed in the case where the translation velocity exceeds the sound velocity.