Temperatures in excess of 10,000 degrees Celsius

Temperatures in excess of 10,000 degrees Celsius and a ‘hailstorm’ of charged fusion particles: these are the extreme conditions that the divertor of future fusion power stations must be able to withstand. Dealing with this flow of exhaust particles is one of the biggest challenges in developing clean, safe and affordable commercial fusion power stations. 

Researchers from DIFFER and TU/e, together with research teams from the UK’s UKAEA and the European EUROfusion, have succeeded in taking an important step towards solving the exhaust problem. Their results clearly demonstrate the many advantages that alternative exhaust designs can offer in terms of heat dissipation and, consequently, maintaining acceptable exhaust conditions. A solution that could ultimately bring us closer to realising fusion energy.