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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.
Yuri Igitkhanov, Gerald Kent McCormick, Peter Eckhard Grigull
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 46 | Number 1 | July 2004 | Pages 101-105
Technical Paper | Stellarators | doi.org/10.13182/FST04-A545
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A plausible physical explanation of a new advanced high-density H (HDH)-mode operational regime on the W7-AS stellarator is discussed. The HDH regime can be achieved only under a high rate of particle fueling during the starting phase of the discharge. It can be shown that at high enough fueling rates, the density profile grows at the source position, because the relatively weaker diffusivity hinders redistribution of the plasma. This leads to formation of a density gradient at the edge and brings about the radial electric field, which suppresses the plasma turbulence [the edge transport barrier (ETB) formation]. The appearance of the ETB depends on the initial condition, i.e., on the fueling rate, but a steady-state operation depends on the average density value. This critical value can be assessed from the energy and particle balance at the edge, where the transport coefficients depend on the plasma parameters in such a way that bifurcation can occur. The bifurcation occurs between two stable solutions, which are characterized by different values of the particle flux and energy confinement time, reminiscent of the normal confinement and HDH stages. The scaling analysis shows that the threshold average density required for transition increases weakly with power and inverse aspect ratio.