Using large cryogenic pellets, US ITER advances new fusion technology
The international ITER fusion project is building "a sun on earth" that will produce a self-heated, burning plasma—a key step toward industrial-scale fusion energy production. Controlling that plasma can be tricky, though, because disruptions may occur that cool and collapse the plasma. Sudden losses of plasma energy and current have the potential to erode plasma-facing components inside the ITER vacuum vessel. US ITER researchers based at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are leading the development of a disruption mitigation system to reduce the effects of plasma disruptions. The United States Domestic Agency for ITER, one of seven international partners, signed a formal arrangement with the ITER Organization on July 29 for the work.