Mission and Design of the Fusion Ignition Research Experiment (FIRE)

Conference · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2001

OSTI ID:1003662

Meade, D. M. ^[1]; Jardin, S. C. ^[1]; Schmidt, J. A. ^[1]; Thome, R. J. ^[2]; Sauthoff, N. R. ^[1]; Heitzenroeder, P. ^[1]; Nelson, Brad E ^[3]; Ulrickson, M. A. ^[4]; Kessel, C. E. ^[1]; Mandrekas, J. ^[5]; Neumeyer, C. L. ^[1]; Schultz, J. H. ^[2]; Rutherford, P. H. ^[1]; Wesley, J. C. ^[6]; Young, K. M. ^[1]; Nevins, W. M. ^[7]; Houlberg, Wayne A ^[3]; Uckan, Nermin A ^[3]; Woolley, R. W. ^[1]; Baker, C. C. ^[8]

---

1. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
3. ORNL
4. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
6. General Atomics
7. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
8. University of California, San Diego

Experiments are needed to test and extend present understanding of confinement, macroscopic stability, alpha-driven instabilities, and particle/power exhaust in plasmas dominated by alpha heating. A key issue is to what extent pressure profile evolution driven by strong alpha heating will act to self-organize advanced configurations with large bootstrap current fractions and internal transport barriers. A design study of a Fusion Ignition Research Experiment (FIRE) is underway to assess near term opportunities for advancing the scientific understanding of self-heated fusion plasmas. The emphasis is on understanding the behavior of fusion plasmas dominated by alpha heating (Q ≥ 5) that are sustained for durations comparable to the characteristic plasma time scales (≥ 20 τE and ~ τskin, where τskin is the time for the plasma current profile to redistribute at fixed current). The programmatic mission of FIRE is to attain, explore, understand and optimize alphadominated plasmas to provide knowledge for the design of attractive magnetic fusion energy systems. The programmatic strategy is to access the alpha-heating-dominated regime with confidence using the present advanced tokamak data base (e.g., Elmy-H-mode, ≤ 0.75 Greenwald density) while maintaining the flexibility for accessing and exploring other advanced tokamak modes (e. g., reversed shear, pellet enhanced performance) at lower magnetic fields and fusion power for longer durations in later stages of the experimental program. A major goal is to develop a design concept that could meet these physics objectives with a construction cost in the range of $1B.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1003662
• Resource Relation: Conference: 18th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Sorrento, Italy, 20061004, 20061010
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BOOTSTRAP CURRENT
CONFINEMENT
DESIGN
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
FLEXIBILITY
HEATING
IAEA
IGNITION
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PELLETS
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICS
PLASMA
REVERSED SHEAR
STABILITY
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TRANSPORT