“What we’re learning on ST40 demonstrates the advantages of spherical tokamaks and is directly applicable to future machines on the path to commercial fusion”, comments Rob Bamber, ST40 Chief Engineer.
In this week’s Fusion Pioneer video, Rob briefly introduces ST40, our world-leading compact spherical tokamak, and explains two of the main objectives of our current campaign. We’re commissioning our Thomson Scattering diagnostic to measure electron density and temperature profiles, and we’re developing what’s known as ‘diverted plasma’ scenarios, leading to higher performance plasmas.
This all informs our fusion pilot plant programme, which will demonstrate the capability to deliver clean, affordable and secure fusion energy in the 2030s.