Department of Energy FY95 Budget Request: Fusion Energy

The Department of Energy has requested $372,563,000 for Fusion Energy, to be distributed as follows:

According to the budget document provided to Congress, “The scientific and technological issues that must be addressed to achieve the program’s goals are ignition physics, fusion nuclear technology, magnetic confinement configuration optimization and low activation materials development. The U.S. fusion program is addressing these issues with the minimum number of devices and with a maximum degree of international collaboration, as exemplified by the joint ITER efforts.... Additional issues of steady-state plasma control and advanced plasma performance, needed for an improved demonstration power plant, will be addressed by the Tokamak Physics Experiment. This is planned to be the next major U.S. experimental tokamak.

“There are four main elements in the magnetic fusion program. The first element is the introduction of a fuel mixture of deuterium and tritium in the TFTR at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).... The second major program element is ITER. The U.S. has, with the European Community, Japan, and the Soviet Union (now the Russian Federation), completed a three-year ITER conceptual design. ITER is intended to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. An agreement to proceed with the ITER Engineering Design Activities collaboration was signed in July, 1992, by all four parties. ITER is being designed to produce more than 1,000 MW of fusion power, under ignition conditions, and serve as the test bed for fusion technology in support of a Demonstration Power Plant. The third element is TPX, a proposed long pulse, advanced tokamak device that will make use of the TFTR test cell and existing equipment at the PPPL site in order to reduce the cost of the experiment. The TPX facility would seek to significantly improve the physics results of current tokamaks by exploring advanced operating modes with the potential for better confinement conditions, higher pressure limits, and efficient steady-state current drive. The final element is a base program of fundamental physics and technology research required to support ITER, TPX, and a demonstration power plant. It includes, for example, the DIII-D and Alcator C-Mod tokamaks, fusion theory and modeling, and the low activation materials development program.”

“In the Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) program, the objective is to develop components, such as a high-efficiency, high-repetition-rate driver and targets and reactor concepts that will use the target physics developed by the Department’s Defense Programs Office. Activities will include continuation of the heavy ion accelerator research program. In addition, research will address target design features of high gain and ease of production that are unique to energy applications.

”...The budget provides funding to analyze the data from the D-T experiments in TFTR and to assure the facility is maintained in a safe condition while preparations for decontamination and decommissioning efforts are made. In addition, support is provided for the U.S. portion of the ITER Engineering Design Activities requirements. Funding for construction of TPX is provided to develop tokamak improvements to increase the attractiveness of a post-ITER fusion reactor. This project is included in the President’s investment package and would be operational in early 2000. Some hardware modifications will be provided for the DIII-D to upgrade its capability to address key issues in support of ITER and next generation machines. The base physics program, which includes theory and small scale experiments, will provide limited support for both ITER and tokamak improvement efforts. Increased support is provided to address the critical issue of materials development for future fusion devices.”