Fusion Energy Systems Studies: Year-end Report on the Fusion Nuclear Science Facility, 2014
Authors: C.E. Kessel, J.P. Blanchard, A. Davis, L. El-Guebaly, N. Ghoniem, P. Humrickhouse, S. Malang, B. Merrill, N. Morley, G.H. Neilson, et al.
Abstract: The Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) is the first strongly nuclear fusion facility in the U.S. pathway to fusion energy development. This facility provides the critical database on ultralong pulse plasma operation, materials, integrated components, the integrated fusion environment, and operating behavior that is needed to pursue a demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO), and ultimately a commercial fusion power plant. The FNSF bridges the technical parameters from ITER to the DEMO by advancing several missions, such as fusion neutron fluence on the blanket. The pathway from ITER to the first commercial power plant, including the FNSF, is considered a two facility development path, with the FNSF as the first step providing a substantial database to qualify all subsystems for the DEMO, and the DEMO providing both the routine electricity demonstration, and any remaining technical advances not provided by the FNSF. The optimal time frame for the FNSF to begin operation is during the ITER operation, likely after the first DT plasma demonstration, however, there are no commitments to this time frame at present in the U.S.
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Published as a PPPL-Report
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Download PPPL-5097 (pdf 3.2 MB / 68pp)
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