AN EVALUATION OF FUSION ENERGY R&D GAPS USING TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVELS

The ARIES Team currently is engaged in an effort called the “ARIES Pathways Study”. The goals of this study are to evaluate remaining R&D needs toward prac-tical fusion energy and to identify and evaluate possible “next step ” devices to bridge the gap between ITER and an attractive power plant. In order to evaluate our current state of readiness and remaining R&D needs, we adopted a methodology called “Technology Readiness Levels”. We defined a quantitative set of readiness levels that encompass the major technology challenges for fusion energy development, and have applied them to evaluate our current level of advancement and R&D needs for an advanced tokamak power plant concept based on recent ARIES designs. Results of the evaluation and recommendations for future R&D are presented. I