Sixty years ago: How the “Zeta fiasco” pulled fusion out of secrecy

ITER 29 JAN, 2018 In those days—the late 1950s—pinch machines ruled the world of fusion. Although tokamaks were already under development in the Soviet Union, it would be more than a decade before they became the dominant form of fusion device. A “circular pinch” machine, Zeta operated at Harwell (UK) between 1957 and 1968. At … Read more

National Academies Panel Warns Against US Withdrawal From ITER

AIP 9 January 2018 A new National Academies report warns that withdrawing from ITER, a mammoth international fusion project under construction in France, could jeopardize the U.S.’s pursuit of commercial fusion energy. The report also calls for a national strategic fusion plan to resolve issues that will not be addressed through ITER. This article was … Read more

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX)

American Security Project THE LARGEST PROJECT AT PPPL TODAY IS THE NATIONAL SPHERICAL TORUS EXPERIMENT (NSTX), WHICH BEGAN OPERATION IN 1999 AND IS PRESENTLY UNDERGOING A MAJOR UPGRADE. NSTX is a major element in the U.S. Fusion Energy Sciences Program. It is designed to test the physics principles of spherical torus (ST) plasmas. NSTX produces … Read more

Model predicts scenarios for power generation using nuclear fusion

Phys.org January 30, 2018 Nuclear fusion for the controlled and regular generation of electric power by converting hydrogen into helium and reproducing on a small scale what happens within stars is one of the foremost technological promises for coming decades. So far, only limited results have been achieved in laboratory experiments. Now, a prototype reactor … Read more

Chinese companies ship parts for ITER nuclear fusion project

ECNS 2018-01-30 Critical parts are packaged in Zhangjiagang City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, for assembly in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), an international nuclear fusion project in France, Jan. 28, 2018. (Photo/China News Service) Chinese companies shipped four critical parts to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), an international nuclear fusion project in France, … Read more

Doctoral Candidate (PhD) in the area of edge-plasma physics in magnetic fusion devices

PhD Positions 28. januar 2018 (Finland) Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto University has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and nearly 400 professors. Our campuses are located … Read more

Nuclear fusion: the end of our energy problem?

CNN January 25, 2018 Professor Thomas Klinger heads up one of the world’s most advanced nuclear fusion projects at the Max Planck Institute in Greifswald, Germany, where 400 scientists from around the world have invested over one million manpower hours to build the Wendelstein 7-X, a prototype nuclear fusion reactor. It’s called nuclear fusion: a … Read more

RHODES SCHOLAR NAOMI MBURU IS ENGINEERING A REVOLUTION IN NUCLEAR FUSION

Study Breaks By Elizabeth Ivanecky, McMaster University The Baltimore student, whose research includes a stint at the Large Hadron Collider, is the school’s first-ever Rhodes scholar. UMBC student Naomi Mburu is the first-ever Rhodes scholar from her school (Image via Mburu) A senior chemical engineering student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Naomi … Read more

The long wait for fusion power may be coming to an end

Mach Dec.29.2017 Construction is underway at the ITER fusion reactor in southern France on Dec. 5, 2017.ITER Organization/EJF Riche Renewable energy sources like solar and wind account for a growing share of the world’s electric power. That’s no surprise, given concerns about the carbon emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants and their harmful effect on … Read more