Burning plasma : bringing a star to earth / / Burning Plasma Assessment Committee, Plasma Science Committee, Board on Physics and Astronomy, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council of the National Academies

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910957497703321
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Washington, D.C., : National Academies Press, 2004
• ISBN: 9786610176731; 9780309166911; 0309166918; 9781280176739; 1280176733; 9780309527668; 030952766X
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (208 p.)
• Disciplina: 539.7/64/072073
• Soggetti: Controlled fusion - Research; Nuclear fusion - Research
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: "This study was supported by Grant No. DE-AT01-02ER54676 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Energy"--T.p. verso.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references.
• Nota di contenuto: FrontMatter -- Preface -- Acknowledgment of Reviewers -- Contents -- Summary -- 1 Next Steps for the Fusion Science Program -- 2 Scientific and Technological Value of and Interest in a Burning Plasma -- 3 Readiness for Undertaking a Burning Plasma Experiment -- 4 Program Structure and Balance -- Appendixes -- A Charge to the Burning Plasma Assessment Committee -- B Committee Meeting Agendas -- C Proposed Burning Plasma Experiments -- D Fusion Community Recommendations -- E Committee's Interim Report -- F Fusion Reactor Concepts -- G Biographies of Committee Members -- H Glossary.
• Sommario/riassunto: Significant advances have been made in fusion science, and a point has been reached when we need to decide if the United States is ready to ; begin a burning plasma experiment. A burning plasma "in which at least 50 percent of the energy to drive the fusion reaction is generated internally "is an essential step to reach the goal of fusion power generation. The Burning Plasma Assessment Committee was formed to provide advice on this decision. The committee concluded that there is high confidence in the readiness to proceed with the burning plasma step. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), with the United States as a significant partner, was the best choice. Once a commitment to ITER is made, fulfilling it should become the highest priority of the U.S. fusion research program. A funding trajectory is required that both captures the benefits of joining ITER and retains a strong scientific focus on the long-range goals of the program. Addition of the ITER project will require that the content, scope, and level of U.S. fusion activity be defined by program balancing through a priority-setting process initiated by the Office of Fusion Energy Science.