A Strategic Plan for U.S.
Burning Plasma Research“Comments”
Mike Mauel, Columbia University, Co-Chair
Mel Shochet, University of Chicago, Co-Chair
November 5, 2018
Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics

University Fusion Association
http://nas.edu/fusion1Outline• Appreciation for your input (Thank you!)• Statement of Task
• Status• Three comments2

Fusion Community Input(Thank you! Part 1 of 2)• Seven meetings 39 presentations: Mohamed Abdou, Hans-HenrichAltfeld, Michl Binderbauer, Amitava Bhattacharjee, Bernard Bigot,
Richard Buttery, Tony Donné, Gianfranco Federici, Phil Ferguson, StefanGerhardt, Chuck Greenfield, Martin Greenwald, Sibylle Guenter, RichardHawryluk, Dave Hill, Amanda Hubbard, Yong-Seok Hwang, ThomasKlinger, Mike Jaworski, Sam Lazerson, Gyung-Su Lee, Jiangang Li, TimLuce, David Maurer, Jon Menard, Bob Mumgaard, Yuichi Ogawa,Stewart Prager, Soren Prestemon, Juergen Rapp, Ned Sauthoff, OliverSchmitz, Ed Synakowski, Tony Taylor, Jim Van Dam, Mickey Wade,
Dennis Whyte, and Mike Zarnstorff.

• > 100 White Papers
3Fusion Community Input(Thank you! Part 2 of 2)• Report of the FESAC Subcommittee on Transformative Enabling Capabilities
Toward Fusion Energy (Rajesh Maingi and Arnie Lumsdaine; February 2018).
This report describes several “revolutionary” ideas that would dramaticallyincrease the rate of progress through increased performance, simplification,
reduced cost or time to delivery, or improved reliability and/or safety.

• Two weeklong community Workshops on Strategic Directions for U.S.

Magnetic Fusion Research, hosted by the University of Wisconsin at Madison(July 2017) and by the University of Texas at Austin (December 2017)• Thank you to leadership of the workshop co-chairs, David Maurer, Jon Menard,Hutch Neilson, and Mickey Wade.

• 16 technical summaries: Strategic Elements, Strategic Approaches, Working
group Summaries.

4Study Origin
CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2016
PUBLIC LAW 114–113—DEC. 18, 2015(129 STAT. 2410) That not later than May 2, 2016, the Secretary ofEnergy shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of bothHouses of Congress a report recommending either that theUnited States remain a partner in the ITER project afterOctober 2017 or terminate participation, which shall include, asapplicable, an estimate of either the full cost, by fiscal year, of all
future Federal funding requirements for construction, operation, andmaintenance of ITER or the cost of termination.

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Statement of Task: Two Reports
A committee of the National Academies … will study the state and potential of magnetic
confinement-based fusion research in the U.S. and provide guidance on a long-term
strategy…
✓ Interim Report:• Describe and assess the current status of U.S. research that supports burning plasma
science ….

• Assess the importance of U.S. burning plasma research to the development of fusionenergy as well as to plasma science and other science and engineering disciplines.

➡ Final Report: In two separate scenarios in which, after 2018,(1) the United States is a partner in ITER, and(2) the United States is not a partner in ITER
provide guidance on a long-term strategic plan (covering the next several decades)
for a national program … given the U.S. strategic interest in realizing economical fusionenergy in the long term.
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As compared with BP2004, BPStrategy istasked with an Explicit Long-Term Energy Goal
• NAS BP2004 Task:‣ “assessment of scientific and technical readiness”‣ “strategy aimed at maximizing the yield of scientific and technicalunderstanding”‣ “The committee is not asked to evaluate fusion as an energy option.”• NAS BPStrategy Task:

1
2‣ “consider the scientific and engineering challenges and opportunities
associated with advancing magnetic confinement fusion as an energysource”‣ “The committee may assume that economical fusion energy
within the next several decades is a U.S. strategic interest.”

3456
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8

FINAL REPORT OF THE
COMMITTEE ON A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR U.S.
BURNING PLASMA RESEARCH

910111213141516171819202122Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research
Board of Physics and Astronomy
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

A Consensus Study Report of23
242526272829DRAFT COPY – DO NOT CIRCULATE

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Status• Interim Report released on December 21, 2017
• Draft Final Report in review / revision / final editing• Hopefully, the Final Report goes public in December 20188

Interim Report: https://doi.org/10.17226/24971
Interim Report of the Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma ResearchPREPUBLICATION COPY – SUBJECT TO FURTHER EDITORIAL CORRECTION

INTERIM REPORT OF THE
COMMITTEE ON A STRATEGIC PLAN
FOR U.S. BURNING PLASMA RESEARCHCommittee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma ResearchBoard on Physics and Astronomy
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

ContentsSUMMARY

11BACKGROUND

62THE COMMITTEE’S INFORMATION-GATHERING PROCESS

123IMPORTANCE OF BURNING PLASMA RESEARCH

144STATUS OF U.S. RESEARCH THAT SUPPORTS BURNING PLASMA SCIENCE

225ASSESSMENTS

336TOWARD COMPLETION OF THE FINAL REPORT38A Consensus Study Report ofCopyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

APPENDIXESAWHAT IS MAGNETIC FUSION?

41B

STATEMENT OF TASK44CAGENDAS FROM COMMITTEE MEETINGS

46DPREVIOUS STUDIES OF MAGNETIC FUSION ENERGY AND STRATEGIES FOR FUSIONENERGY DEVELOPMENT CONSULTED BY THE COMMITTEE
489Draft Final Report

12345678FINAL REPORT OF THECOMMITTEE ON A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR U.S.
BURNING PLASMA RESEARCH

910111213141516171819202122Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma ResearchBoard of Physics and Astronomy
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

A Consensus Study Report of23242526272829

DRAFT COPY – DO NOT CIRCULATE

10Three Comments• (Assessment 2) “Our confidence that a burning plasma experimentsuch as ITER will succeed” has substantially improved• (Assessment 3) “Operation of a burning plasma experiment is a critical,
but not sufficient, next step toward the realization of commercial
fusion energy. In addition, further research …”

Assessment 7) “If the U.S. seeks to continue its pursuit for abundant• (fusionpower, the development of a national strategic plan for fusionenergy that spans several decades is necessary”

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A Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research“Comments”

Discussion / Questions
http://nas.edu/fusion
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