World-first tests carried out at the Mast (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade nuclear fusion experiment at Culham in Oxfordshire, could clear one of

World-First Tokamak Exhaust System Paves Way For Nuclear Fusion

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2021-06-06 06:00:06

World-first tests carried out at the Mast (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade nuclear fusion experiment at Culham in Oxfordshire, could clear one of the largest obstacles for commercial fusion energy, the UK Atomic Authority (UKAEA) explained in a report today, May 26.

The £55m (approx. $77.9m) Mast device began operation in October 2020, after a seven-year building process. Now, Culham scientists revealed that they successfully tested an innovative world-first exhaust system designed to pave the way for compact commercial fusion power plants.

Based on the same process by which stars create heat and light, fusion energy has the potential to provide almost limitless energy in a sustainable manner — that's why countries such as France, the UK, and the US have all planned prototypes for fusion reactors in the coming decades.

Using a machine called a 'tokamak,' a fusion power station will heat 'plasma,' a type of gas, in order to enable hydrogen atoms to fuse together to release energy that will generate electricity.