Review of D-T Experiments Relevant to Burning Plasma Issues
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Progress in the performance of tokamak devices has enabled not only the production of significant bursts of fusion energy from deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) and the Joint European Torus (JET) but, more importantly, the initial study of the physics of burning magnetically confined plasmas. The TFTR and JET, in conjunction with the worldwide fusion effort, have studied a broad range of topics including magnetohydrodynamic stability, transport, wave-particle interactions, the confinement of energetic particles, and plasma boundary interactions. The D-T experiments differ in three principal ways from previous experiments: isotope effects associated with the use of deuterium-tritium fuel, the presence of fusion-generated alpha particles, and technology issues associated with tritium handling and increased activation. The effect of deuterium-tritium fuel and the presence of alpha particles is reviewed and placed in the perspective of the much large r worldwide database using deuterium fuel and theoretical understanding. Both devices have contributed substantially to addressing the scientific and technical issues associated with burning plasmas. However, future burning plasma experiments will operate with larger ratios of alpha heating power to auxiliary power and will be able to access additional alpha-particle physics issues. The scientific opportunities for extending our understanding of burning plasmas beyond that provided by current experiments is described.
- Research Organization:
- Princeton Plasma Physics Lab., NJ (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH03073
- OSTI ID:
- 792998
- Report Number(s):
- PPPL-3642
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Results from deuterium-tritium tokamak confinement experiments
Results from D-T experiments on TFTR and implications for achieving an ignited plasma
Results from D-T Experiments on TFTR and Implications for Achieving an Ignited Plasma
Technical Report
·
Fri Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1997
·
OSTI ID:304206
Results from D-T experiments on TFTR and implications for achieving an ignited plasma
Conference
·
Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1998
·
OSTI ID:304159
Results from D-T Experiments on TFTR and Implications for Achieving an Ignited Plasma
Technical Report
·
Tue Jul 14 00:00:00 EDT 1998
·
OSTI ID:2554