Research Needs for Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences - US Burning ...

equirements. Understanding the fueling efficiency, tritium burn fraction, the size and materials
used in antennae, coils, shells needed for plasma heating and control, and many other factors
must be considered jointly between the plasma requirements, materials and technological limitations
and the impact on tritium fuel sustainability. in a similar fashion, leading candidate structural
materials for power extraction and tritium fuel cycle components are based on ferritic/martensitic
steels that have nonunity relative magnetic permeability. error field effects from the use
of these materials in the plasma chamber, as well as from mhd currents arising from flowing
liquid metal alloy coolants, must be jointly assessed from plasma and technological perspectives.
many of magnetic fusion’s most difficult problems: disruption, vdes, elms prediction, control,
mitigation and survivability (Thrust 2); concurrent steady-state current drive (Thrust 5) and power
extraction; significant radiation damage in in-vessel components; tritium fuel sustainability,
etc., require integrated physics and technology research and solutions — and test facilities in
which to pursue them. The idea of pursuing a Fusion nuclear science Facility in which these problems
can be investigated and resolved prior to a demo is a unifying theme in many of the thrusts.
The effort to establish the requirements and the design of such a facility in the nearer term will
require participation by many if not all of the other thrusts.
Conclusion
developing the needed power extraction and fuel cycle components, with the necessary performance,
reliability, maintainability, and safety characteristics for fusion, is a critical prerequisite
to designing nuclear plasma chamber systems for any future burning plasma devices and ultimately
an energy producing demo. There has been past significant work in the Us in a number
of critical research and design areas, and Us design concepts are widely used and respected internationally.
but the general field of Fusion nuclear science and technology has not been supported
adequately in the Us over the past decades and there has been a worrisome loss of capabilities
and human resources. The Us still has a core set of capabilities and niche areas of expertise, but
we must immediately expand efforts in Fnst basic property and separate/multiple effects experiments
and simulation in a number of needed areas. an investment in human, facility, and computational
infrastructure will help reinvigorate Fnst, and will also provide the tools to improve
american competitiveness in fusion where the Us has traditionally been a scientific leader and
innovator. in addition, basic Fnst research in fluid, thermal, and nuclear sciences; electromagnetics;
material science; hydrogen chemistry in metals and ceramics; granular media thermomechanical
behavior; novel measurement techniques; high-performance computing; and many
other fields can lead to innovative methodologies, computational tools, materials and technologies
with relevance to a wide variety of energy, chemical, nano/bio, computational science, and
industrial applications. excellence in Fusion nuclear science and technology is a prime example
of the spirit of the american competitiveness initiative because of its central importance to the
development and demonstration of inexhaustible fusion energy, and its wide application in other
strategic areas.
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