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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.
J. F. Latkowski, R. P. Abbott, R. C. Schmitt
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 47 | Number 3 | April 2005 | Pages 591-595
Technical Paper | Fusion Energy - Inertial Fusion Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A750
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Dry-wall inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plants must survive repeated exposure to target threats that include x-rays, ions, and neutrons. While this exposure may lead to sputtering, exfoliation, transmutation, and swelling, more basic effects are thermomechanical in nature. In the present work, we use the newly developed RadHeat code to predict time-temperature profiles in a tungsten armor, which has been proposed for use in an IFE power plant. The XAPPER x-ray damage experiment is used to simulate thermal effects by operating at fluences that produce similar peak temperatures, temperature gradients, or thermomechanical stresses. Soft x-ray fluences in excess of 1 J/cm2 are possible. Using RadHeat, we determine the XAPPER x-ray fluence needed to match expected peak surface temperatures. Such calculations are the first step in predicting the thermomechanical effects that are expected in an IFE system. Here, we report our findings and detail directions for future experiments and modeling.