Abstract
Nuclear fusion would have abundant, cheap fuel (deuterium and lithium), excellent safety, and environmental compatibility. A fusion reactor would need to heat the deuterium–tritium fuel to 10 keV (100 Million Kelvin) and confine it long enough for about 1 % of the fuel to “burn”. This can be done by using intense magnetic fields to confine the plasma electrons and ions and to provide thermal insulation between the hot plasma and the walls. Experimental “tokamaks” and “stellarators” are confining plasmas well on a small scale (plasma radius about 1 m), and a larger ITER experiment is under construction. A Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO) to generate electricity would be the next step after ITER. The final challenge will be to produce electricity that is economically competitive with other sources.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Atzeni S, Meyer-Ter-Vehn J (2004) The physics of inertial fusion. Oxford Science Publications
Bolt H (~2007) Materials for fusion, Sect. 2.9 of European White Book Fig. 2.17. http://www.mpg.de/pdf/europeanWhiteBook/wb_materials_068_113.pd
Braams CM, Stott PE (2002) Nuclear fusion: half a century of magnetic confinement. IOP Bristol, Philadelphia
Chapman BE et al (2010) Generation and confinement of hot ions and electrons in a reversed-field pinch plasma. Plasma Phys Controlled Fusion 52:124048 (14 pages)
Chen FF (1984) Introduction to plasma physics and controlled fusion, Volume 1: Plasma physics, 2nd edn. Plenum Press, New York
Chen FF (2011) An indispensable truth, how fusion power can save the planet. Springer, New York
Dolan TJ (1982) Fusion research. Pergamon Press, New York
Dolan TJ (1993) Fusion power economy of scale. Fusion Technol 24:97–111
Dolan TJ (2012) Nuclear fusion, encyclopedia of sustainability science and technology. Springer, New York
EIA (2011) International Energy Outlook 2011, Report Number: DOE/EIA-0484, Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy
IAEA (1995) Energy from inertial fusion. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna
Freidberg J (2007) Plasma physics and fusion energy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Jarboe TR, Victor BS, Nelson BA, Hansen CJ, Akcay C, Ennis DA, Hicks NK, Hossack AC, Marklin GJ, Smith RJ (2012a) Imposed dynamo current drive. Nucl Fusion 52:083017 (9 pp)
Jarboe TR, Sutherland DA, Akcay C, Golingo R, Hansen CJ, Hossack AC, Marklin GJ, Morgan K, Nelson BA, Raman R, Victor BS, You S (2012b) Facilities needed for the development of economical fusion power, http://www.iccworkshops.org/epr2013/index.php
Kikuchi M, Lackner K, Tran MQ (2012) Fusion physics. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
LaBerge M (2012) General fusion’s acoustic magnetized target fusion. In: 20th American Nuclear Society Topical meeting on the technology of fusion energy, Nashville, TN, USA, Aug 27–31
Li XZ, Wei QM, Liu BA (2008) New simple formula for fusion cross sections of light nuclei. Nucl Fusion 48:125003 (5 pages)
Lodge O (1924) Putting the atom to work. Sci Am (May), pp 306–307, 358–359
Morisaki T et al (2007) Superdense core mode in the large helical device with an internal diffusion barrier. Phys Plasmas 14:056113
Moses EI et al (2009) A sustainable nuclear fuel cycle based on laser inertial fusion energy. Fusion Sci Technol 56:547
Najmabadi F et al (2006) The ARIES-AT advanced tokamak, advanced technology fusion power plant. Fusion Eng Des 80:3–23
NAS (2012) Interim report-status of the study “An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy”, Committee on the Prospects for Inertial Confinement Fusion Energy Systems; National Research Council of the National Academies, National Academy Press
Ongena J, Van Oost G (2012) Energy for future centuries. Fusion Sci Technol 61:3–16
Rogner HH (2012) World Energy Demand and Supply, IAEA, Vienna, Austria. Accessed at http://www.iaea.org/nuclearenergy/nuclearknowledge/schools/NEM-school/2012/AbuDhabi/PDFs/day1/04_Rogner_World_Energy_D%26S.pdf
Sheffield J, Waganer LM (2001) A study of options for the deployment of large fusion power plants. Fusion Sci Technol 40:1–36
Simonen T, Cohen T, Correll D, Fowler K, Post D, Berk H, Horton W, Hooper EB, Fisch N, Hassam A, Baldwin D, Pearlstein D, Logan G, Turner B, Moir R, Molvik A, Ryutov D, Ivanov AA, Kesner J, Cohen B, McLean H, Tamano T, Tang XZ, Imai T (2008) The axisymmetric tandem mirror: a magnetic mirror concept game changer—Magnet Mirror Status Study Group, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Report LLNL-TR-408176, Oct 24
Taylor JB (1984) Relaxation of toroidal plasma and generation of reverse magnetic fields. Phys Rev Lett 33:1139–l141
Theobald W et al (2008) Initial experiments on the shock ignition inertial confinement fusion concept. Phys Plasmas 15:056306
Wood RD, Hill DN, McLean HS, Hooper EB, Hudson BF, Moller JM, Romero-Talamas CA (2009) Improved magnetic field generation efficiency and higher temperature spheromak plasmas. Nucl Fusion 49:025001 (4 pp)
Woodruff S, Brown M, Hooper EB, Milroy R, Schaffer M (2010) Why compact tori for fusion. J Fusion Energy 29:447–453
Yokohama M et al (2008) Extension of the high temperature regime in the large helical device. Phys Plasmas 15:056111
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag London
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dolan, T.J., Parrish, A. (2013). Introduction. In: Dolan, T. (eds) Magnetic Fusion Technology. Lecture Notes in Energy, vol 19. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5556-0_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5556-0_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-5555-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-5556-0
eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)