A newly published report on a DOE-sponsored Basic Research Needs Workshop on Measurement Innovation—led by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s (PPPL) Luis Delgado-Aparicio and LLE’s Sean Regan, with guidance from Curt Bolton of Fusion Energy Sciences—outlines the diagnostic and measurement innovations needed to accelerate US fusion energy progress and strengthen leadership in plasma technologies.
“The findings in this report are a testament to the critical role of diagnostics in driving fusion energy science forward. By investing in innovative measurement technologies, we can accelerate progress toward commercial fusion energy and strengthen America’s leadership in plasma science.” —Sean Regan, Distinguished Scientist and the director of LLE’s Experimental Division
The workshop gathered experts from academia, private industry, and national laboratories to identify the critical diagnostics and measurement technologies needed to advance US leadership in fusion energy and plasma technologies. As outlined in the executive summary, major findings included:
- Accelerate Innovation: The pace of progress for measurement innovations for the FES community, especially for realizing nuclear fusion energy, could be accelerated by validating and verifying design modeling codes, AI and machine learning, and the use of digital twins.
- Establish a National Network: Measurement innovation offers a critical cross-cutting thread within the FES community and could be better supported by a program modeled after LaserNetUS. Such a community could be called CalibrationNetUS.
- Form National Teams: National teams should be formed to transform ideas for measurement innovations into working diagnostics in an efficient and economical way.
- Standardize Calibrations: A more systematic approach to diagnostic calibrations would significantly benefit measurement innovations.
- Transfer Knowledge to the Private Sector: Transferring diagnostics and operational expertise from the public sector to private facilities offers synergistic benefits to the fusion energy science community.
- Invest in a Workforce Pipeline: The measurement innovations needed for fusion pilot plants require a momentous workforce development effort.
- Plan Now for Remote Operations: Measurement innovations needed for remote operation and maintenance of fusion pilot plants should be the topic of future workshops.
Read the full report on the PPPL website.