Nuclear fusion: technology development and achievements

The strategy for reducing the enhanced greenhouse effect, affecting our planet and the increasing energy demand caused by global growth of population, as well, is, certainly, that of adopting, all the three long-term carbon-free options for energy: renewable sources, fission and fusion reactions. All of them should be further explored and developed for the welfare of future generations, thus leaving them the option of a clean and green energy. From all those available options, the fusion is viewed as an energy source that would be effective in solving future demands, referring to the amount of the energy that can be produced taking into account spent fuel to obtain it. The slow (but steady) progress of fusion development linked with the need for large and expensive experimental devices is remarkable; all available technical and scientific information from experiment shows that progress is being made towards a successful reactor (ITER). The desired objective of this intensive research is obtaining of an industrial reactor able to cover energy future requirements. For the construction of this desired reactor, special designs systems are required. The TRF (TRITIUM RECOVERY FACILITY) is one of the installations that have a major importance maintaining an efficient fuel cycle of the reactor in proper function stage. A test model of TRF for implementation in reactor systems, proposed and developed at ICIT Ramnicu Valcea is presented. (authors)