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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.
K. H. Finken, R. Jaspers, A. Krämer-Flecken, A. Savtchkov, M. Lehnen, G. Waidmann
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 47 | Number 2 | February 2005 | Pages 266-273
Technical Paper | TEXTOR: Other Research Areas | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A706
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Disruptions remain a major concern for tokamak devices, particularly for large machines. The critical issues are the induced (halo) currents and the resulting forces, the excessive heating of exposed surfaces by the instantaneous power release, and the possible occurrence of highly energetic runaway electrons. The key topics of the investigations on TEXTOR in the recent years concerned (a) the power deposition pattern recorded by a fast infrared scanner, (b) the runaway generation measured by synchrotron radiation in the infrared spectral region, (c) method development for "healing" discharges that are going to disrupt, and (d) massive gas puffing for mitigating the adverse effects of disruptions.