Engineers from Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) have received delivery of a two tonne, five metre-long, copper centre rod, one of the key components for the MAST (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade.
The centre rod is an integral part of forming the device’s ‘toroidal’ magnetic field, which confines the hot plasma in its compact ‘cored apple’ shape.
Manufacturing the centre rod was a complex process, from the initial production of the copper wedges, to glass wrapping and vacuum impregnation of the entire assembly with resin.
Key to this was the innovative use of cyanate ester resin to bind the centre rod – the world’s largest magnetic coil to do so.
MAST-Upgrade Project Leader Joe Milnes, said:
“This is a major step forward in building the new MAST and is the culmination of two years of extensive design, research and development activities both on the Culham site and with a number of specialist UK and European suppliers.”