Tungsten examined in extreme environments to improve fusion materials
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 - 16:01
in Physics & Chemistry
A fusion reactor is essentially a magnetic bottle containing the same processes that occur in the sun. Deuterium and tritium fuels fuse to form a vapor of helium ions, neutrons and heat. As this hot, ionized gas -- called plasma -- burns, that heat is transferred to water to make steam to turn turbines that generate electricity. The superheated plasma poses a constant threat to the reactor wall and the divertor (which removes waste from the operating reactor to keep the plasma hot enough to burn).