Keep pulling the thread on Ronald Reagan.
Tokamak fusion devices operate by heating a gas to 100 million degrees to create a plasma, which is then confined using magnetic fields.
The current estimated cost of the ITER project is approximately 20 billion euros.
The first plasma operation for the ITER project is planned for 2034.
ITER is expected to begin fusion power operations in the late 2030s.
The UK's STEP prototype fusion power plant is expected to begin operations in the 2040s.
The European DEMO fusion power plant is planned for operation sometime in the 2050s.
ITER aims to generate 500 megawatts of fusion power, representing a Q-factor of 10, meaning it will produce ten times more power than the external heating required to sustain the plasma.
The UK's STEP project aims to be a complete prototype power plant, demonstrating net energy production and full tritium fuel self-sufficiency, advancing beyond ITER's experimental goals.
When a tokamak plasma is heated above a certain power threshold, it can transition into a 'high-confinement mode' (H-mode), where transport is suppressed, allowing for much higher core plasma temperature and density, which improves fusion performance.
High-confinement mode plasmas are subject to periodic instabilities called Edge Localized Modes (ELMs), which occur at a frequency of 10 to 100 Hz and cause nearly instantaneous releases of particles and heat.
Future fusion power plants will need to suppress or mitigate Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) because the intense, instantaneous heat releases can damage the machine's internal walls.
Tungsten is used for the plasma-facing walls in fusion devices, and its sputtering must be minimized as too much tungsten contamination in the core plasma radiates away energy, reduces fusion rates, and can cause a total plasma collapse.