TECH Signal 369
Brit boffins boast of beating barriers to building fusion power
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UKAEA scientists at the MAST Upgrade tokamak demonstrated record plasma pressure without destabilization by accessing four stable operating regimes that suppress destructive Edge Localised Modes.
ELMs can release up to a tenth of stored plasma energy in sudden bursts, damaging tokamak walls and exhaust components over time, a practical barrier to commercial fusion viability. Demonstrating multiple suppression pathways and real-time plasma position control moves toward the automated, sustained operation that power plants require.
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Four stable high-performance plasma regimes were accessed, QCE-mode, RMP, QH-mode, and I-mode, each mitigating ELMs through different pressure-bleeding or confinement mechanisms.
Real-time plasma position control was demonstrated using deuterium light measurements from divertors, enabling detection of minute imbalances toward automated operation.
MAST Upgrade will receive two new neutral beam injectors doubling heating capacity and a 1.6 MW EBW system, with EBW technology planned for the STEP pilot power plant.
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