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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.
Mikio Enoeda, Kazuyuki Furuya, Hideyuki Takatsu, Shigeto Kikuchi, Toshihisa Hatano
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 34 | Number 3 | November 1998 | Pages 877-881
Fusion Blanket and Shield Technology (Poster Session) | doi.org/10.13182/FST98-A11963723
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This work presents the results of measurements of the effective thermal conductivity of Li2O and Be pebble beds using a hot wire method1. Also, preliminary results for a binary bed using Al2O3 pebbles are presented. The measured value for an Al2O3 single packing bed showed good agreement with Schulunder's correlation2 and Hall-Martin's correlation3 with a contact area fraction of 5 × 10−5. The value of the contact area fraction in this study showed consistency with that reported by Dalle Donne et al.4. Results for the binary bed of Al2O3 (0.3 mm and 3 mm) pebbles showed good agreement with the same correlation using the same value of contact area fraction. The measured value of the effective thermal conductivity for an Li2O bed using 1 mm pebbles agreed with the correlation using a value of 4.9 × 10−3 for the contact area fraction. The measured values of the effective thermal conductivity for 0.6 mm and 1mm Be pebble beds showed consistency with the correlation using 1 × 10−4 for the contact area fraction.
