What is tokamak in plasma physics?

Tokamak, Device used in nuclear-fusion research for magnetic confinement of plasma. It consists of a complex system of magnetic fields that confine the plasma of reactive charged particles in a hollow, doughnut-shaped container.

What is a tokamak device?

A tokamak is a machine that confines a plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape that scientists call a torus. Fusion energy scientists believe that tokamaks are the leading plasma confinement concept for future fusion power plants.

How does a tokamak reactor work?

Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel. Just like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant will use this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators. (Scroll down for more about the tokamak.)

Does Princeton have a nuclear reactor?

The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) was an experimental tokamak built at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) circa 1980 and entering service in 1982….

Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
Device type	Tokamak
Location	Princeton, New Jersey, US
Affiliation	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Technical specifications

What does tokamak mean in English?

: a toroidal device for producing controlled nuclear fusion that involves the confining and heating of a gaseous plasma by means of an electric current and magnetic field.

How much energy does a tokamak produce?

K-DEMO tokamak According to the PPPL, it would generate “some 1 billion watts of power for several weeks on end”, a much greater output than ITER’s goal of producing 500 million watts for 500 seconds by the late 2020s.

Is plasma a fusion?

Sustained, ongoing fusion reactions like those in our Sun rely on burning plasmas. Plasma, one of the four fundamental states of matter, consists of a gas of ions and free electrons. A burning plasma is one in which most of the plasma heating comes from fusion reactions involving thermal plasma ions.

When was the tokamak fusion test reactor built?

Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor. The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) was an experimental tokamak built at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) circa 1980 and entering service in 1982. TFTR was designed with the explicit goal of reaching scientific breakeven, the point where the heat being released from the fusion reactions in…

What are the physics behind the new MIT tokamak?

Now, after many months of intensive research and engineering work, the researchers charged with defining and refining the physics behind the ambitious tokamak design have published a series of papers summarizing the progress they have made and outlining the key research questions SPARC will enable.

How is the temperature of plasma increased in a tokamak?

In the same way, the temperature of a plasma is increased if it is compressed rapidly by increasing the confining magnetic field. In a tokamak, this compression is achieved simply by moving the plasma into a region of higher magnetic field (i.e., radially inward).

What kind of device is a tokamak and what does it do?

A tokamak ( Russian: Токамáк) is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field to confine a hot plasma in the shape of a torus. The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being developed to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. As of 2016.