scholarly journals Comment on “The staged z-pinch as a potential fusion energy source” [Phys. Plasmas 27, 042709 (2020)]

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 014701
Author(s):  
Irvin R. Lindemuth
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Z Pinch

scholarly journals The staged z-pinch as a potential high gain fusion energy source: An independent review, a negative conclusion

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 102707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irvin R. Lindemuth ◽  
Matthew R. Weis ◽  
Walter L. Atchison
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
High Gain ◽  
Independent Review ◽  
Z Pinch ◽  
Negative Conclusion

The staged Z-pinch as a potential fusion energy source

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 042709
Author(s):  
E. Ruskov ◽  
P. Ney ◽  
H. U. Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Z Pinch

scholarly journals Do proposed regulatory approaches for commercialfusion energy jeopardize successful technologydeployment?

2021 ◽  
pp. 40-45
Author(s):  
R. Patrick White ◽  
Liam Hines
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Fusion Technology ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Start Ups

Fusion energy has long been touted as an energy source capable of producing large amounts of clean energy without the fuel, pollution, siting, and safety constraints of other energy sources. Despite this promise, fusion energy has not come to fruition after six decades of research and development due to continuing scientific and technical challenges. Significant private investment in commercial fusion start-ups signals a renewed interest in the prospects of near-term development of fusion technology. Successful deployment of fusion energy, however, will require an appropriate regulatory framework to ensure public safety and economic viability. Initial discussions and proposals from fusion start-ups (e.g., Commonwealth Fusion Systems, General Fusion, TAE Technologies) and industry associations (e.g., Fusion Industry Association)have advocated the use of risk-informed regulations as the basis for the licensing of commercial fusion technology in the United States. These proposals are based, in part, on regulatory methods used for licensing commercial fission technology that developed in parallel with the commercial fission industry. Risk-informed regulations incorporate risk information from probabilistic safety analyses to ensure that regulations are appropriate for the actual risk of an activity. Proponents of risk-informed regulation believe that these methods can improve the economics and operation of nuclear facilities by focusing regulatory resources on addressing credible accident scenarios that are most likely to pose threats to worker and public safety. In addition to interest from industry, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)has begun an initiative to develop a new risk-informed regulatory framework for the licensing of advanced nuclear fission power plants, but it is unclear if this framework would be applied to fusion. Despite the benefits of adopting a risk-informed framework for a mature fission industry, use of risk-informed regulations for the licensing of first-generation commercial fusion technology could be detrimental to the goal of economic near-term deployment of fusion. Commercial fusion technology has an insufficient operational and regulatory experience base to support the rapid and effective use of risk-informed regulations. More conservative regulatory analyses could instead be used for first-generation fusion facilities to facilitate more rapid deployment, and enable collection of operating experience to support future use of risk-informed regulations. A hybrid regulatory pathway that incorporates seven decades of lessons learned in commercial fission would enable the implementation of regulatory requirements that evolve with the development of commercial fusion technology, from a first-of-a-kind demonstration plant to a mature low-carbon energy source.

scholarly journals Fusion-From Stars to Power Sockets

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 104-120
Author(s):  
Carla Fleisher-Petersen ◽  
Shane Keen ◽  
Liam Martin ◽  
Blake Regan
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Nuclear Fission ◽  
Fusion Technology ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Radiation Losses ◽  
Minimal Environmental Impact ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Z Pinch

Fusion energy is one of the promising energy sources of the future, with a practically limitless abundance of hydrogen in the universe and earth, it has the potential to replace current energy technologies being theoretically superior in efficiency with minimal environmental impact. A systematic review and meta-analysis of its thermodynamic properties, including the examination of the efficiency of underlying technologies and fusion causing techniques was conducted to examine the potential of this technology as a viable energy source. Through these methods we obtained thermodynamic data relating to to the efficiency of fusion engines, such as the Tokamak, Direct Pulse, Z-Pinch and Fusor style fusion engines, and the underlying technologies relating to conduction and radiation losses in a fusion engine in order to assess current and projected thermodynamic efficiencies and hypothesise potential research requirements to make fusion technology viable. From this research it is concluded that the main flaw in fusion technology is the inability to properly address radiation and conduction losses which minimise the power output of any fusion reactor.Furthermore, while it is necessary to develop these technologies for the development of working fusion technology, their applications to other energy industries, such as solar and nuclear fission, would be more beneficial to the clean energy near future than to the long term goal of fusion technology.

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