Report of panel 3: Concept improvement

• Published in: Journal of fusion energy 1992-12, Vol.11 (3-4), p.163-169
• Main Authors: Dean, Stephen O., Ripin, Barrett H., Batchelor, Don, Berkner, Klaus, Ellis, William R., Gentle, Kenneth W., Kaye, Stanley M., Logan, B. Grant, Marmar, Earl, Navratil, Gerald, Ness, Norman F., Ohkawa, Tihiro, Siemon, Richard E., Steiner, Don, Weitzner, Harold
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 290500 - Energy Planning & Policy- Research, Development, Demonstration, & Commercialization; 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; 700412 - Magnetic Confinement Devices- (1992-); 700490 - Fusion Technology- Economics- (1992-); ADVISORY COMMITTEES; CLOSED CONFIGURATIONS; CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES; CONFINEMENT; ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; MAGNETIC CONFINEMENT; MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; PLASMA CONFINEMENT; RECOMMENDATIONS; RESEARCH PROGRAMS; STELLARATORS; THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES; US DOE; US ORGANIZATIONS
• ISSN: 0164-0313; 1572-9591
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01059520

The charge to Panel 3 was to look at the idea of concept improvements in the context of US DOE management of the magnetic fusion program. The panel suggested that if DOE were commited to the idea of concept improvement, it needed to overcome the existing impression it was not receptive to new ideas. In part the long time scale for development of fusion energy, coupled with the rate of change of scientific programs and research based on emerging knowledge, means that in general the program will be much different ten to twenty years in the future. To be able to meet this changing direction, the US program must maintain an openness to look at promising alternative ideas, spend money on developing the ideas, and consider funding some to intermediate development levels. Stellerator research was offered as one alternative to consider in light of present international work. The panel urged supporting the development of new concepts and ideas, as well as continued support for plasma physics basic research.