PROSPECTS AND STATUS OF LOW-ASPECT-RATIO TOKAMAKS

The prospects for the low-aspect-ratio (A) tokamak to fulfill the requ irements of viable fusion power plants are considered relative to the present status in data and modeling. Desirable physics and design feat ures for an attractive Blanket Test Facility and power reactors are es timated for low-A tokamaks based on calculations improved with the lat est data from small pioneering experiments. While these experiments ha ve confirmed some of the recent predictions for low-A, they also ident ify the remaining issues that require verification before reliable pro jections can be made for these deuterium-tritium applications. The res ults show that the low-A regime of small size, modest field, and high current offers a path complementary to the standard and high A tokamak s in developing the full potential of fusion power.