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Interim Report of the Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research (2018) / Chapter Skim
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4 Status of U.S. Research that Supports Burning Plasma Science
Pages 20-29

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From page 20...
... and other major international fusion experiments. However, the closure of domestic fusion research facilities and the failure either to upgrade or to start new medium-scale experiments, together with substantially decreased funding to fusion nuclear science and technology research, creates concern as to whether the United States will continue to be a scientific leader in the field.
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From page 21...
... 13 DOE, Integrated Simulations for Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences, Report from the DOE Workshop held June 2-4, 2015, Washington, D.C. 14 See https://www.exascaleproject.org/pppl-physicists-win-ecp-funding/.
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From page 22...
... proposals 17 MIT News, Alcator C-Mod tokamak nuclear fusion reactor sets world record on final day of operation, October 14, 2016, https://phys.org/news/2016-10-alcator-c-mod-tokamak-nuclear-fusion.html. 18 DOE, FY2016 Congressional Budget Request for Fusion Energy Sciences, Office of Science, 2015, p.
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From page 23...
... exploring and understanding key materials and technology feasibility issues for attractive fusion power sources, and (3) conducting advanced design studies that provide integrated solutions for next-step and future fusion devices and call attention to research opportunities in the field.34 Since the 2004 NRC Burning Plasma Assessment report,35 fusion technology advances have been driven by ITER research needs and by next-step goals to fully enable the fusion energy system.
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From page 24...
... 44 Zinkle et al., Development of next generation tempered and ODS reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion energy applications, Nuc Fusion 57:092005, 2017. 45 Snead et al., Silicon carbide composites as fusion power reactor structural materials, J Nuc Materials 417:330, 2011.
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From page 25...
... U.S. RESEARCH AND PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL FUSION ACTIVITIES Fusion energy research is international.
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From page 26...
... The ITPA provides an international framework for coordinated fusion research useful for all fusion programs and for broad progress toward fusion energy. The United States continues to make significant contributions to the ITPA, which coordinates the international tokamak physics research and development activities and provides the physics basis for the ITER project.
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From page 27...
... fusion energy science research program. The three fusion research directions, "burning plasma science: foundations," "burning plasma science: long pulse," and "burning plasma science: high power," advance the plasma science, computational science, and materials science in support of burning plasma research that will be conducted on the ITER device.
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From page 28...
... Leaders of each topical group coordinate research to address priority scientific issues and provide contact to the international burning plasma research with the ITPA and with the ITER organization. The director and deputy director of the USBPO explained to the committee69 that burning plasma research in support of the ITER project has resulted in significant progress in many key areas, including transient events, plasma material interactions, integrated simulations, operating scenarios, heating and current drive, diagnostics, plasma control, energetic particles, and transport and confinement, and these advancements "have only increased our readiness to take the burning plasma step." Research in support of ITER has facilitated enhanced multi-national collaborative activities (experiments and analysis)
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From page 29...
... burning plasma research activities, and participation in the ITER project provides formal mechanisms for U.S. scientists to take leading roles in the international effort to develop fusion energy.
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Key Terms

  • fusion energy
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  • plasma science
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  • nuclear fusion
  • fusion nuclear
  • magnetic fusion

  • engineering science
  • articles appearing
  • international fusion
  • fusion power
  • fusion eng

  • international tokamak
  • nuclear science
  • tokamak physics
  • magnetic field
  • integrated simulations

  • fusion safety
  • fusion describing
  • fusion fuel
  • fusion materials
  • future fusion

  • fusion devices
  • trans plasma
  • plasma sci
  • describing research
  • iter project


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