NJ.com – With upgrade, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory chases dream of lighting fusion’s torch
NJ.com – With upgrade, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory chases dream of lighting fusion’s torch
By Erin Duffy | 08 January 2012 – 07:00
PLAINSBORO — At the end of a cold, concrete tunnel lies a massive, warehouse-like space, a labyrinth of cables, wires and copper pipes that lead to a circular vessel cradled by red magnetic coils.
Inside, the vessel is lined with black carbon tiles that can endure heat from a substance that crosses the million-degree Celsius mark.
The device — the vessel, the cables, the huge box that powers a high-energy beam — is the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), a nuclear fusion reactor at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory that’s about to get a little more advanced.
The lab is getting a head start on a $94 million project that will transform its plasma reactor into what officials say will be one of the most advanced in the world, bringing scientists one step closer to the goal of creating a clean fusion energy source.
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