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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. Sater, B. Kozioziemski, G.W. Collins, E.R. Mapoles, J. Pipes, J. Burmann, T.P. Bernat
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 35 | Number 2 | March 1999 | Pages 229-233
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST99-A11963929
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Solid D-T fuel smoothly layered on the interior of spherical capsules is required for all inertial confinement fusion ignition target designs. One process for forming these layers, beta-layering, has been studied in surrogate geometries such as open cylinders or tori to allow accurate characterization of the DT surfaces. We present the first results from beta layering in 1 mm spherical containers, such as will be used in upcoming Omega experiments. These results are also directly relevant to ignition capsules for the National Ignition Facility. We find that layers can form with roughness as small as 1.2 microns rms, and that results are strongly dependent upon freezing rate as well as layer thickness.