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MAST Upgrade Fusion Experiment by kralizec

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· @kralizec ·
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MAST Upgrade Fusion Experiment
<i>MAST Upgrade is a spherical tokamak which is trying a bit of a different approach to fusion than ITER which is being built in France. But if it succeeds, it could be the key to smaller and cheaper fusion power plants.</i>

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The world really wants and even needs fusion energy. Fusion is a process that allows stars to shine. And for humanity, fusion could bring a lot of energy without carbon emission and nasty radioactive waste. The raw materials needed for fusion are abundant. It seems just perfect. But reality shows that getting fusion ready for practical use is not and won’t be easy.

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In Oxfordshire, Great Brain a new (well, old-new) fusion experiment was engaged. Called MAST (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade it should allow us to overcome some of the current technological problems that currently stand in the way for practically usable fusion. As the name suggests, MAST Upgrade uses an innovative design – a spherical tokamak.

A tokamak is originally a Soviet addition to fusion energy. It creates a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) magnetic field that holds the extremely hot plasma. Traditionally, it is considered one of the most promising fusion technologies but the results aren’t really that breathtaking. But MAST Upgrade is a spherical tokamak which reduces the hole of the doughnut to be as small as possible making the plasma almost spherical.

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Building the new version of the MAST experiment took 7 years and 55 million pounds. According to Ian Chapman, the chief of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, the launch of the MAST Upgrade is a remarkable event. The first plasma in the experiment is another checkpoint in the race towards the first fusion power plant.

MAST Upgrade can be found in the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy near Culham. Apart from MAST Upgrade the classical tokamak JET (Joint European Torus) and the predecessor of MAST – START (Small Tight Aspect Ratio Tokamak) can be found there as well.

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As Chapman said, the MAST project leads us to smaller and thus cheaper fusion devices that could more easily find their place on the energy market. But at the same time, he points out that a spherical tokamak requires resilience against the extreme temperatures of the plasma. As it is smaller than a conventional tokamak the walls of a spherical tokamak face more of the load.

The extreme temperatures are handled by the Super-X diverter device. Its testing is now one of the main goals of the experiment. This device carries out the plasma cooled enough so as not to damage the material. This allows the components of the tokamak to last much longer. And if it works as we expect it will open the gates towards smaller and cheaper fusion power plants.

<h4>Sources:</h4>
* https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54741375

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