Small fusion experiment hits temperatures hotter than the sun’s core

Phys.org  May 30, 2023 An international team of researchers (Ireland, USA – Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Germany) has produced ion temperatures of over 100 million degrees Kelvin (8.6 keV) in the ST40 compact high-field spherical tokamak (ST). Ion temperatures more than 5 keV have not previously been reached in any ST and have only been obtained in much larger devices with substantially more plasma heating power. The corresponding fusion triple product was calculated. These results demonstrated for the first time that ion temperatures relevant for commercial magnetic confinement fusion can be obtained in a compact high-field […]

Researchers generate fusion at 100 million Kelvin for 20 seconds

Phys.org  September 8, 2022 An international team of researchers (South Korea, Princeton University, Columbia University) generated plasmas at a temperature of 100 million kelvin lasting up to 20 seconds without plasma edge instabilities or impurity accumulation. They used edge-transport barrier which shapes the plasma in a way that prevents it from escaping, and an internal transport barrier that works by creating an area of high pressure near the center of the plasma to keep it under control. According to the researchers use of the internal transport barrier resulted in much denser plasma than the other approach. A higher density made it easier […]

Key material development for fusion energy application

Phys.org  July 22, 2022 In a review paper a team of researchers in China has introduced the latest development and strategy on fusion energy in China and reviewed the progresses of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel for engineering applications. It is considered to be the primary candidate structural material for blankets of ITER, CFETR and DEMO. Several RAFMs have been developed in China (CN-RAFMs) such as CLAM, CLF-1, modified RAFMs and oxide dispersion strengthened RAFMs (ODS-RAFMs). The mechanical properties, irradiation behaviors, additive manufacturing and joining technologies of structural materials have been comprehensively studied. Qualifications of CN-RAFMs are on-going for ITER-TBM […]

A major challenge to harvesting fusion energy on Earth

Phys.org  August 5, 2021 A key challenge to producing the fusion energy is preventing the runaway electrons that can bore holes in tokamaks. To see the electrons so that they can find ways to stop them before their population can grow into an avalanche an international team of researchers (USA – Princeton University, University of Wisconsin, Edgewood College, Japan, Switzerland) used a multi-energy pinhole camera which has the unique ability to record not only the properties of the plasma in time and space but its energy distribution as well. Use of the novel camera moves technology forward. Comparing their diagnosis […]

Discovery about the edge of fusion plasma could help realize fusion power

EurekAlert  May 21, 2020 A major roadblock to producing safe, clean, and abundant fusion energy on Earth is the lack of detailed understanding of how the hot, charged plasma gas that fuels fusion reactions behaves at the edge of tokamaks. A team of researchers in the US (Princeton University, MIT) has developed a specialized code called “Gkeyll” that makes simulations feasible. It adapts a state-of-the-art algorithm to the gyrokinetic system to develop the “key numerical breakthroughs needed to provide accurate simulations. The mathematical code simulates the orbiting of plasma particles around the magnetic field lines at the edge of a […]

5 Big Ideas for Making Fusion Power a Reality

IEEE Spectrum  January 28, 2020 Over the past several years, more than two dozen research groups and well-funded startups, university programs, and corporate projects have achieved eye-opening advances in controlled nuclear fusion. Some of these groups are predicting significant fusion milestones within the next five years, including reaching the breakeven point at which the energy produced surpasses the energy used to spark the reaction. Fusion research is among the costliest of endeavors. Advances in high-speed computing, materials science, and modeling and simulation are helping to topple once-recalcitrant technical hurdles, and significant amounts of money are flowing into the field. According […]

Striving towards a fusion future

Physics World  September 17, 2019 An international consortium is currently building the most ambitious fusion experiment to date in rural southern France. ITER will ultimately produce 10 times more energy than is needed to heat its fusion fuel – generating 500 MW of power for 20 minutes using only 50 MW of input power. One of its core objectives is to prepare the ground for the first large-scale fusion power plants. A new development is a major upgrade to the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST), a UK facility that represents a different approach to fusion power. MAST exploits a spherical […]