An Overview of Conventional and Non-Conventional Alternatives to the
Tokamak in the US Fusion Program

S. Woodruff (LLNL)

currently visiting Department of Nuclear Engineering, Etcheverry Hall, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 96701

Abstract. The US fusion program has operated for just over fifty years,
during which time the tokamak has emerged as the most promising vehicle
for a burning plasma experiment. However, many other concepts have been
built and investigated as alternatives (and possible improvements) to the
tokamak, perhaps to make energy from fusion an economic reality sooner.
This talk is an overview of the conventional alternatives to the tokamak
and a set of those that are not so conventional with the aim of fostering
concept innovation.  Usually the devices are grouped into magnetic,
inertial, electrostatic, or other categories, with sub-categories. The
groupings of conventional- and non-conventional- alternatives are used.
The conventional alternatives are those devices that have been adopted as
serious alternatives, and for which many references are immediately
available (e.g. rfp, spheromak, laser ICF, etc). The non-conventional
alternatives comprise approaches that are not being currently
investigated or are worth consideration. In this grouping lie ideas like
impact fusion, mirrors, muon catalyzed fusion, many historical ones (like
the Elmo Bumpy Torus) amongst others. Several examples of the physics of
non-conventional alternatives are presented in summary form in the hope
that others will take up the challenge of concept innovation.


Biography:

University of Kent in England as undergraduate, studied Astrophysics with
german.  Immediately following, joined the Unit for Space Sciences and
worked on the Cassini mission, calibrating instrumentation on the Huygens
probe, due to splash down on Titan next year.  Took some time out to
cycle across America, then started PhD at the University of Manchester
Institute for Science and Technology (UMIST) and worked on a spheromak
for two years, started a collaboration with UWashington and continued
work there for a year.  There I met people from LLNL who invited me down
for a chat.  After PhD was recruited and have been staff scientist at
LLNL for 5 years, working on every aspect of the spheromak (experiment
planning through to nuts and bolts).  After nearly 9 years working on
spheromaks and spheromak-related issues, I needed to gain a broader
perspective so took some time out, and have been a visiting scholar at
UCB for the last 6 months, although mostly spent my time in the library!