Nuclear radiation in fusion: low risks and plenty of benefits

Eurofusion Bianca Giacomelli | October 19th 2016 As Professor Ian Chapman, the new CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), remarks on BBC5 Radio Live, nowadays explaining the concept of nuclear fusion to the public is a hard, but essential, task. Looking towards the future of fusion power appears challenging to most people used … Read more

ITER Chief Welcomes Iran’s Membership in Nuclear Fusion Project

Farce News Nov 06, 2016 TEHRAN (FNA)- Director General of France’s International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Bernard Bigot voiced ITER’s full endorsement for Iran’s membership in the nuclear fusion project, and said both sides will benefit from the outcome of the project. “The cooperation will have win-win results for both sides,” Bigot said on Sunday. He … Read more

Iran, ITER sign confidentiality agreement

Tehran Times November 5, 2016 Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi (L), ITER Director General Bernard Bigot (M), and Iran’s Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari attend a signing ceremony on Saturday in Tehran. TEHRAN – Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi and ITER Director General Bernard Bigot signed on Saturday a confidentiality … Read more

A New Way to Build a Fusion Tokamak

New Energy and Fuel November 3, 2016 Recent computer simulations have suggested a novel method for launching the plasma without using solenoids. The simulations at the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), the major fusion facility at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) shows the formation of distinct, current carrying magnetic structures … Read more

PPPL scientists present key results at the 58th annual meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics

PPPL By John Greenwald | November 1, 2016 Simulation of plasmoid, left, and fast-camera image of experiment showing two plasmoid-like structures. Images taken from PPPL release, “Launching Fusion Reactions Without a Central Magnet, or Solenoid.” Simulation by Fatima Ebrahimi, PPPL; fast-camera image by Nishino-san, Hiroshima University. More than 100 scientists from the U.S. Department of … Read more

New Plasma Heating Mechanism to Make Fusion Reactors Safe and Efficient

WIR October 31, 2016 U.S. physicists have proposed a new plasma heating mechanism that prevents interior fusion reactor damage while maximizing energy transfer. Utilizing one of the most important methods for heating plasma, the proposed strategy promises to help prevent damage to the interior surfaces of the reactor, while also keeping a tighter control of … Read more

PPPL physicist receives ExxonMobil grant for plasma research

PPPL By Raphael Rosen | October 31, 2016 Egemen Kolemen Physicist Egemen Kolemen, who holds positions at Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), is sharing a grant from ExxonMobil to research whether plasma could reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with oil wells. Plasma is partially ionized gas that … Read more

LPP Fusion’s bootstrapped nuclear fusion plans with shorter Tungsten electrode experiments and next year with Beryllium

Next Big Future October 30, 2016 The recently-completed set of experiments with LPPFusion’s FF-1 device, combined with discussions with colleagues at the International Center for Dense Magnetized Plasma (ICDMP) conference in Warsaw, have produced a greater understanding of the ways impurities are produced in our device and how to reduce them. LPPFusion’s research team has … Read more

Close control of plasma rotation improves stability in fusion reactors

theEngineer.com By Stuart Nathan 28th October 2016 Stability map of fusion plasma in NSTX. Blue is stable and red is unstable. As the plasma decreases collisionality and increases rotation in time it transitions into an unstable region Previous plasma physics theory held that making the plasma rotate would keep it stable. However, Jack Berkery and … Read more

Princeton plasma lab’s fusion reactor shut down for 1 year after malfunction

NJ.com October 28, 2016 At the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in Princeton, New Jersey, from left, Scott Gifford and Neway Atnafu work inside the vessel of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). NSTX is an innovative magnetic fusion device that was constructed by the PPPL in collaboration with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Columbia … Read more