# Presentation: 107198

## Possible Strategies for a Broadened Fast Track Approach to Fusion Energy

***http://fire.pppl.gov***

**Possible Strategies for a Broadened Fast Track Approach to Fusion Energy**

**Dale Meade**
**Princeton Plasma Physics laboratory**
**Symposium on  Fusion Engineering**
**Knoxville, TN**
**September 28, 2005**

## The Most Frequently Asked Questions

- Q - **When will we get fusion energy?**
- A - 35 years to a non commercial DEMO
- Q - **Why is something so important taking so long?**
- A - Tougher than we thought, not enough money,
- 		 various excuses.
-   **End of Conversation **

## EU Fast Track Strategy

- In response to criticism from various European scientists that fusion would take 50 years, and the “87 questions from the Bundestag”, the EU initiated a study in 2001 led by Sir David King.
- Bottom Line - 35 years to a non commercial DEMO
- References:  Fire Fusion Library
- •   Accelerated Development of Fusion Power, I Cook, N Taylor, D Ward, L Baker, T Hender,  UKAEA FUS 521 EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion, Feb 2005, D. Maisonnier ISFNT 2005
- Excerpts from Cris Lewellyn Smith’s IAEA 2004 Talk, and US visit in 2005

## EU Fast Track Strategy

- C. Lewellyn Smith IAEA 2004

**EU Fast Track Strategy**

## 2. JA / EU roadmap to Fusion DEMO

**2010**

**2015**

**2020**

**2025**

**2035**

**Decomissioning**

**Construction**

**Development of breeding blanket**

**Fusion material development  (inc. IFMIF)**

**Confirm physics database**

**Confirm material database**

**DEMO physics input for starting  EDA**

**construction**

**power production**

**Grid connection**

**licencing**

**2005**

**FY**

**ITER program**

**Satelite Tokamaks**
**And other devices**

**Fusion technology development**

**DEMO**

**Basic performance phase**

**Decision of construction**

**JT-60 and JET**

**2030**

**Performance extension phase**

**Coordination of DEMO physics and tech. R&D**

**CDA-like**

**EDA/R&D**

**Concept exploration**

- - 3 -

## Slide 6

## US 35 Year Plan

-  Requested by DOE to bolster case for US joining ITER negotiations.
-  35 years to first electricity production using MFE or IFE
-  Report generally characterized as DOA in Washington

## Official Plans are Really “Slow track”

- Its been 30 years to DEMO for 55 years.
- Twenty years since the start of ITER discussions, and construction has not yet started.
- As a result fusion gets one paragraph in serious books or article about future energy sources.
- We used to have more ambitious plans
-  1976 Plan
-  1980 MFE act
-  Mid 80s Plans e.g., Technical Planning Activity

## 1976 US Plan for Fusion

- •  Logic V became the basis for the MFE Act of 1980.
- •  The US Fusion Program evolved from Logic IV to Logic I - we never get there.

- Fusion Power by Magnetic Fusion Program Plan   July 1976        ERDA – 76/110/1

- Base program only

## The Magnetic Fusion Engineering Act of 1980

- •  Operation of Fusion Engineering Device (burning plasma and tests of components for engineering purposes) by 1990  ( 9 years)
- •  Operation of Fusion DEMO by 2000- prototype energy (electricity production) system of sufficient size to provide safety, availability and ready extrapolation to commercial size, need not be economically competitive with then existing energy sources. (19 years)
- •  Budget (relative to October 7, 1980 -start of FY 1981):
- 		•  1982 +20%
- 		•  1983 + 20%
- 		•  double budget within 7 years
- 		•  without inflation
- .

**- How did we do relative to this plan?**

## Comparison of MFE Act with Actual Budget/Progress 

**The FED (burning plasma and technology tests) should have been done by end of 2001 according to the actual money spent on MFE).**

## External Conditions are Changing

- •  Concerns about energy supplies have risen to awareness levels not seen since the mid 1970s.
- 		•  oil reserves
- 		•  growing demand
- 		•  global climate change
- •  Manhattan Project for Alternate Energy- T . Freidman NY Times Sep-05
- •  Fusion is seldom mentioned as an important part of the solution except near the end of this century - by then other energy sources will have filled the gap.
- •  If a second energy crisis appears, we should be ready.  Fusion was able to catch the wave with the 1970’s Energy Crisis because“ **we**” were ready.

## How fast could we find out if fusion energy is a possibility?

- 	• Change the goal from DEMO date to a Proof of Fusion date.  Did we establish the scientific feasibility of fusion or is it yet to be done??
- 	•  What are the two or three  key issues that if settled would convince decision makers that fusion energy was credible?
- 	•  How fast could these be addressed?
- 	•  What could fusion do in a decade?
- 	• Is a totally new paradigm needed?
- 		non-government involvement
- 		a new community approach
**We should know the answer these questions!!!!**

##  The Fusion in a Decade Challenge

**•  ****What could be done in the next decade to increase the credibility of fusion?**

- Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized.                              D. Burnham, architect

## Some Possibilities

- •  **Operation of Fusion Engineering Device (burning plasma and tests of components for engineering purposes) within a decade**
- 		•  Advanced FIRE described yesterday is an example
- 		•  other tokamak based systems
- ICF already has NIF delivering a burning plasma within 5 years.

## ITER and FIRE would provide a strong basis for Adv. DEMO

**ITER and FIRE would provide a strong basis for Adv. DEMO**

- FIRE

- ARIES-RS

- ITER

|  | ITER | FIRE | ARIES-RS |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fusion Gain | 10(H), 5(AT) | 10(H), 5(AT) | 25 (AT) |
| Fusion Power (MW) | 500 - 350 | 150 | 2170 |
| Power Density(MWm-3) | 0.6 | 5.6 | 6.2 |
| Wall Loading n(MWm-2) | 0.6 | 2 | 4 |
| Pulse Duration (s) 
           (CR, % equilibrated) | 500 - 3000
2 -10, 86 - >99.9% | 20 - 35
2 - 5, 86 - >99% | 20,000,000
steady |
| Mass of Fusion Core (tonnes) | 23,000 | 1,400 | 13,000 |

## ARIES Studies have Defined the Critical Plasma and Technology Issues for Fusion Energy

**High Power Density**
- Pf/V~ 6 MWm-3
- p ~10 atm
- n ≈ 4 MWm-2

**High Gain**
- Q ~ 25 - 50
- nET ~ 6x1021 m-3skeV
- P/Pheat = f ≈ 90%
- Low rotation

**Steady-State**
- ~ 90% Bootstrap

**ARIES Studies have Defined the Critical Plasma and Technology Issues for Fusion Energy**

**Plasma Exhaust**
- Pheat/Rx ~ 100MW/m
- Helium Pumping
- Tritium Retention

**Plasma Control**
- Fueling
- Current Drive
- RWM Stabilization

- Significant advances are needed in each area.
**Metrics are needed in each area to measure progress.**

## Fusion Needs Metrics to Measure Progress 

- •  need to be understandable
- •  need several metrics for each major issue
- •  track progress against plan
- Some examples -
- 		Fusion Power or Fusion Energy/pulse vs year
- 		Lawson,  BE
- 		pressure, (which one ? Plasma  , fusion 
- pulse length s, time constants
- Power densities - plasma, wall, blanket, etc

## Uncle Sam’s Thoughts on the Fast Track

**I want you to get on with fusion, **

**Uncle Sam’s Thoughts on the Fast Track**

**and make a major step forward within a decade.**** **