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In transition: Commercializing fusion power
Commercial fusion power is closer than ever. There are now around 30 U.S. fusion companies, several of which claim to be on track to connect to the grid as early as the 2030s.
Tokamak and laser inertial confinement approaches benefit from decades of research at facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and ITER, with alternative concepts including stellarator, magnetic mirror, and Z-pinch confinement also making notable progress as private and government funding for fusion increases.
Gene L. Woodruff, David C. Quimby
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 62 | Number 1 | January 1977 | Pages 45-54
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE77-A26938
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A simplified but approximate method for the calculation of nuclear heating is described. Results using this method are compared with those of more rigorous calculations. The computational effort required is significantly reduced, and an accuracy generally better than ±20% can be achieved provided reasonable estimates of gamma-ray production are used. It would appear that the gamma-ray absorption coefficients used here are too low as a result of assuming average gamma-ray energies that are too high. As experience is gained with use of the method, greater accuracy should result from improved assumptions regarding both gamma-ray production and average gamma-ray energies.