14 What would a fusion energy plant look like?
Description
This article is from the Fusion FAQ, by Robert F. Heeter heeter1@llnl.gov with numerous contributions by others.
14 What would a fusion energy plant look like?
In the most basic picture, you need a fusion reactor to create the
fusion energy, and you need an electricity-generating plant to
convert the fusion energy to electricity. A method for transferring
the fusion energy from the reactor to the generator is also needed.
(You could also generate thermal energy if it would be useful near
your fusion plant, such as for industrial process heat, and if your
reactor is safe enough to operate near other facilities.)
Details beyond this basic picture depend on the confinement method
used, the fuel used, and the choice of technology for converting
the fusion energy to electricity. The confinement method
determines how your fusion reactor will work, and influences what
fuels you can use; different confinement approaches are discussed in
Section 4 of the FAQ.
Fusion reactors based on magnetic confinement and D-T fuel are
believed to be the strongest candidates at this time for commercial
energy production, and will be discussed most extensively below.
Continue to:
My Books
