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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.
A. Ying et al.
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 47 | Number 4 | May 2005 | Pages 1031-1037
Technical Paper | Fusion Energy - First Wall, Blanket, and Shield | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A823
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An engineering scaling process is applied to the solid breeder ITER TBM designs in accordance with the testing objectives of validating the design tools and the database, and evaluating blanket performance under prototypical operating conditions. The goal of scaling is to ensure that changes in structural response and performance caused by changes in size and operating conditions do not reduce the usefulness of the tests. Initially, constitutive equations are applied to lay out the basic operating and design parameters that dominate blanket phenomena. The suitability of these similarity criteria for the TBM design is then confirmed by comparing finite element predictions of prototype and scale model responses. The TBM design also takes into account the need to check the codes and data for future design use. Specifically, predictability of tritium production and nuclear heating rates in a complex geometry, tritium release and permeation characteristics under fusion environments belong to this category. We conclude that this engineering scaling design process has maximized the value of ITER testing.