DSC-RX100M3
ƒ/7.1
8.8 mm
1/30
125
This is an armor tile from the inner core of the Alcator C-Mod fusion reactor at MIT. It is made of molybdenum, a high-Z metal (with atomic # 42, nice!) and one of the highest melting points of the pure elements (4,753°F).
It shields the reactor walls from the heat flux not magnetically confined to the plasma. The reactor holds the record for the steepest temperature gradient in the solar system (dropping 1 million degrees within 2mm of magnetic confinement)!
When the reactor is cranking, molybdenum sputters off the tile, but ~80% of it redeposits within one gyration, reducing the net erosion. (from this thesis)
And congrats to CFS for winning 1/3 of the DOE commercial fusion awards this week.
Leave a Reply