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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.
N.I. Arkhipov, V.P. Bakhtin, S.M. Kurkin, V.M. Safronov, D.A. Toporkov, S.G. Vasenin, H. Wuerz, A.M. Zhitlukhin
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 35 | Number 1 | January 1999 | Pages 131-135
Oral Presentations | doi.org/10.13182/FST99-A11963837
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Process of interaction of intense plasma fluxes up to 10 MW/cm2 with solid targets was studied experimentally. It was shown that a dense plasma layer arises near target surface and protects the target from direct effect of an incoming high temperature plasma. Spatial distribution and temporal behavior of the shielding layer depend on the target materials. For a high Z materials (tungsten, copper, stainless steel) dense plasma layer is localized near the surface during all time of the interaction. For a low Z materials (graphite, boron nitrid, plexiglass, aluminium) low dense plasma cloud – “corona” rapidly expands toward incoming plasma flow along the magnetic field lines. The experiments demonstrated effective shielding of the different materials surface from excessive evaporation. Bulk energy of incoming plasma is converted into SXR radiation in near surface layer for a high Z materials and, partially, into target plasma heating for a low Z materials. Measured parameters of plasma shield are used as a benchmark in developing numerical codes to predict a real damage for ITER divertor plates due to hard disruptions.