Tungsten examined in extreme environments to improve fusion materials

A fusion reactor is essentially a magnetic bottle containing the same processes that occur in the sun. Deuterium and tritium fuels fuse to form a vapor of helium ions, neutrons and heat. As this hot, ionized gas – called plasma – burns, that heat is transferred to water to make steam to turn turbines that generate electricity. The superheated plasma poses a constant threat to the reactor wall and the divertor (which removes waste from the operating reactor to keep the plasma hot enough to burn).

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170307130908.htm

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