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Latest News
WEST claims latest plasma confinement record
The French magnetic confinement fusion tokamak known as WEST maintained a plasma in February for more than 22 minutes—1,337 seconds, to be precise—and “smashed” the previous record plasma duration for a tokamak with a 25 percent improvement, according to the CEA, which operates the machine. The previous 1,006-second record was set by China’s EAST just a few weeks prior. Records are made to be broken, but this rapid progress illustrates a collective, global increase in plasma confinement expertise, aided by tungsten in key components.
D. Steiner
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 58 | Number 2 | October 1975 | Pages 107-165
Critical Review | doi.org/10.13182/NSE75-A28219
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this paper the major technological requirements for fusion power, as implied by current conceptual designs of fusion power plants, are elucidated and assessed. As the point of departure the four fusion reactor concepts that have been most thoroughly considered in these design studies are described; they are the mirror, the theta-pinch, the Tokamak, and the laser-pellet concepts. The required technology is discussed relative to three principal areas of concern: (a) the power balance, that is, the unique power handling requirements associated with the production of electrical power by fusion; (b) reactor design, focusing primarily on the requirements imposed by a tritium-based fuel cycle, thermal-hydraulic considerations, and magnet systems; and (c) materials considerations, including surface erosion, radiation effects, materials compatibility, and neutron-induced activation. The major conclusions of the paper are summarized in a final section where it is noted that research and development programs have been initiated to satisfy the technological requirements associated with the realization of commercial fusion power.