麻豆淫院

Nuclear fusion reactors are highly powerful technologies that can generate energy by fusing (i.e., joining) two light atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus. These fusion reactions release large amounts of energy, which can then be converted into electrical power without emitting greenhouse gases.

One of the most reliable and promising fusion reactor designs is the so-called tokamak. Tokamaks are devices that use a doughnut-shaped magnetic field to confine and heat plasma (i.e., superhot, electrically charged gas) for the time necessary for fusion reactions to take place.

Despite their potential for the generation of large amounts of clean energy, future reactor tokamaks may face huge challenges in managing the intense heat produced by fusion reactions. Specifically, some of the confined plasma can interact with the walls of the reactors, damaging them and adversely impacting both their durability and performance.

Researchers at the TCV tokamak experiment at 脡cole Polytechnique F茅d茅rale de Lausanne (EPFL) recently discovered a new form of plasma radiation that could prevent tokamaks from overheating, allowing them to shed excess heat and thus potentially boosting their performance over time.

The new solution they proposed, which they dubbed X-point target radiator (XPTR), was introduced in a published in 麻豆淫院ical Review Letters.

"Reducing divertor heat loads is a key challenge for future fusion power plants," Kenneth Lee, first author of the paper, told 麻豆淫院.

"One promising approach, the X-point radiator, dissipates plasma energy near the X-point, but scalability is uncertain due to its proximity to the core. We investigate experimentally the effect of adding a secondary X-point along the divertor channel to broaden operational range and maintain core plasma confinement鈥攁 concept known as the X-point target divertor."

In tokamaks, an X-point is a location where magnetic field lines run purely toroidally, which is central in shaping the plasma and guiding heat away from the core via a narrow magnetic funnel known as a "divertor." X-point radiators are plasma operating conditions which convert a large fraction of the plasma heat into uniform radiation in proximity to the X-point.

In their paper, Lee and his colleagues perform experiments on introducing another X-point along the divertor, which is located outside of the zone in which the plasma is confined. Adding this secondary X-point could further support the removal of excess heat, thus preventing damage to the tokamak and enhancing its durability.

"We leverage TCV tokamak's unique magnetic shaping flexibility to introduce a secondary X-point, and we discovered localized radiation (the 'XPTR') far from the plasma core, which preserves core performance while significantly reducing divertor heat loads," explained Lee.

"We found that the X-point target radiator is highly stable and can be sustained over a wide range of operational conditions, potentially offering a much more reliable method for handling power exhaust in a fusion power plant."

In initial tests, the approach introduced by the researchers was found to perform remarkably well, removing excess heat from magnetically confined plasma more effectively than conventional setups.

This newly explored X-point target configuration is set to be implemented in next-generation tokamak devices that are being developed by Commonwealth Fusion Systems in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

"We are now conducting new high-power experiments to explore the parameter range of the X-point target radiator, complemented by state-of-the-art numerical simulations to better understand its underlying physical mechanisms," added Lee.

"The next-generation tokamak, SPARC, plans to incorporate the X-point target divertor into its baseline design, making our findings timely and crucial."

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