The "tokamak fusion test reactor" is a device used to achieve controlled nuclear fusion. Its name comes from the Russian words "тороидальная камера вакуумной магнитной катушки", which means "toroidal chamber with vacuum magnetic coils". The proper spelling is /tɒkəmæk fjuʒən tɛst riːæktə(r)/, with stress on the second syllable of "tokamak". The "a" in the second syllable is pronounced like the "a" in "apple", and the stress falls on the first syllable of "fusion" and the last syllable of "reactor".
The "Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor" (TFTR) is a type of experimental nuclear fusion machine that operates based on the principles of a tokamak plasma confinement device. It was a major facility built between 1976 and 1982 at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory that aimed to advance the understanding and development of nuclear fusion as a potential source of clean, abundant energy.
A tokamak is a magnetic confinement device that creates and controls a high-temperature plasma, enabling the conditions necessary for nuclear fusion to occur. TFTR was specifically designed to study the physics and engineering challenges associated with fusion reactions. It utilized powerful magnets to confine a plasma of deuterium and tritium, isotopes of hydrogen, within a toroidal-shaped chamber called a torus. The plasma was heated to extremely high temperatures using neutral beam injection and radiofrequency heating.
The primary goals of the TFTR project were to achieve a fusion reaction that produced more energy than it consumed, explore the behavior and properties of the plasma, and investigate methods to reduce the release of harmful neutrons generated during the fusion process. It made significant advancements in plasma confinement and heating techniques, setting numerous records for fusion performance.
The data and knowledge gained from TFTR have contributed significantly to the development of newer and more advanced fusion reactors, such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). TFTR played a crucial role in advancing the field of fusion research and paved the way for future fusion experiments and potential commercial fusion power plants.