Fusion reactors

Publisher Summary A device that permits the controlled release of fusion energy is designated as a fusion reactor in contrast with one yielding fission energy—the fission reactor. This chapter discusses fusion reactors and presents a comparison of fusion reactions. The potentially available energy from the fusion process is enormous. The possibility of achieving controlled thermonuclear power on a practical basis has not yet been demonstrated, but progress in recent years gives encouragement that fusion reactors can be in operation soon. The chapter reviews choices of nuclear reaction, discusses the requirements for feasibility and practicality, and describes the physical features of machines that have been tested. The development of fusion as a new energy source involves several levels of accomplishment. The first is the performance of laboratory experiments to show that the process works on the scale of individual particles and to make measurements of cross sections and yields. The second is to test various devices and systems intended to achieve an energy output that is at least as large as the input and to understand the scientific basis of the processes. The third is to build and operate a machine that will produce net power of the order of megawatts. The fourth is to refine the design and construction to make the power source economically competitive. The chapter gives an overview of the many complex machines devised to generate a plasma and to provide the necessary electric and magnetic fields to achieve confinement of the discharge.