Bank on it: Gains in one type of force produced by fusion disruptions are offset by losses in another
Monday, December 2, 2019 - 13:10
in Physics & Chemistry
Doughnut-shaped tokamaks—facilities designed to reproduce the fusion energy that powers the sun and stars on Earth—must withstand forces that can be stronger than hurricanes created by disruptions in the plasma that fuels fusion reactions. Recent findings by physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) show that certain forces released by disruptions act in a surprising manner. The results could enable designers of large future facilities such as ITER, the international tokamak under construction in France, to better contain forces that could seriously damage the facility.