Scientists developing nuclear fusion have launched a new initiative to solve one of the most stubborn engineering puzzles standing between experimental reactors and commercial electricity.
The DIII-D National Fusion Facility in California is teaming up with Japanese engineering firm Kyoto Fusioneering. Together, they will build and test a specialised exhaust system designed to handle the ferocious heat produced inside a fusion reactor. The system will be installed directly into DIII-D’s tokamak, a testbed device funded by the US Department of Energy.
The DIII-D National Fusion Facility in California is teaming up with Japanese engineering firm Kyoto Fusioneering.
Nuclear fusion generates clean power by fusing light atoms together, the same process that fuels the sun. Most research takes place inside donut-shaped magnetic chambers known as tokamaks. However, containing matter heated to over 100 million degrees Celsius poses a serious risk to machine walls.