First results from UK experiment could provide solution for fusion heat

Scientists at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) claim to have successfully tested a world-first concept that could clear one of the major hurdles in developing fusion energy.

Initial results from UKAEA’s new ‘MAST Upgrade’ experiment at Culham, near Oxford, UK, have demonstrated the effectiveness of an innovative exhaust system designed to make compact fusion power plants commercially viable.

The challenge in getting tokamaks on the electricity grid is removing excess heat produced during fusion reactions.

The new system, known as a ‘Super-X divertor’, would allow components in future commercial tokamaks to last for much longer – greatly increasing the power plant’s availability, improving its economic viability and reducing the cost of fusion electricity.

Tests at MAST Upgrade, which began operating in October 2020, have shown at least a tenfold reduction in the heat on materials with the Super-X system.

‘Super-X reduces the heat on the exhaust system from a blowtorch level down to more like you’d find in a car engine,’ says Dr Andrew Kirk, UKAEA’s Lead Scientist at MAST Upgrade. ‘This could mean it would only have to be replaced once during the lifetime of a power plant.’