Fusion record set for tungsten tokamak WEST

The interior of WEST, the tungsten (W) Environment in Steady-state Tokamak, where the fusion record was achieved. (Credit: CEA-IRFM)

Rachel Kremen
May 6, 2024
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) measured a new record for a fusion device internally clad in tungsten, the element that could be the best fit for the commercial-scale machines required to make fusion a viable energy source for the world.

The device sustained a hot fusion plasma of approximately 50 million degrees Celsius for a record six minutes with 1.15 gigajoules of power injected, 15% more energy and twice the density than before. The plasma will need to be both hot and dense to generate reliable power for the grid.

The record was set in a fusion device known as WEST, the tungsten (W) Environment in Steady-state Tokamak, which is operated by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). PPPL has long partnered with WEST, which is part of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s group for the Coordination on International Challenges on Long duration OPeration (CICLOP). This milestone represents an important step toward the CICLOP program’s goals. The researchers will submit a paper for publication in the next few weeks.

“We need to deliver a new source of energy, and the source should be continuous and permanent,” said Xavier Litaudon, CEA scientist and CICLOP chair. Litaudon said PPPL’s work at WEST is an excellent example. “These are beautiful results. We have reached a stationary regime despite being in a challenging environment due to this tungsten wall.”

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