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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.
W.R. Meier, D.A. Callahan-Miller, J.F. Latkowski, B.G. Logan, J.D. Lindl, P.F. Peterson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 39 | Number 2 | March 2001 | Pages 671-677
Chamber Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST01-A11963316
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The engineering test facility (ETF) for inertial fusion energy (IFE) is the development step preceding a demonstration power plant. As such, it must demonstrate, in an integrated facility, performance of all the key subsystems required for fusion energy production, including target production, injection and tracking, beam propagation and focusing, target gain and yield, chamber response and recovery between shots, heat removal, tritium recovery, and plant safety. In the present work, we combine our current understanding of the target physics and technology, thick liquid wall chambers, and a heavy ion driver to investigate integrated system scaling and operating scenarios for an ETF for heavy ion fusion.