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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.
Lijian Qiu, Shaojie Wang, Qiang Xu
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 34 | Number 1 | August 1998 | Pages 1-5
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST98-A48
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The effect of reducing the aspect ratio on the confinement of deuterium-tritium fusion products, i.e., alpha particles, in tokamaks is discussed. It is shown that for low-aspect-ratio tokamak reactors, the alpha-particle heating efficiency can be similar to conventional tokamaks; at the same time, the alpha-particle confinement time can be much shorter than that of conventional tokamaks. Thus, one can facilitate alpha-particle ash removal while maintaining high alpha-particle heating efficiency by reducing the aspect ratio.