Tokamak
Doughnut-shaped magnetic confinement using a strong toroidal field plus a current driven through the plasma itself. The most-studied configuration, and the one ITER uses. Its main open problem is heat exhaust at the divertor, where the plasma edge concentrates power onto a small area, together with the risk of disruptions: sudden, uncontrolled losses of the plasma current.
In the record: 9 companies, 8 laboratories and programmes, 83 devices and 0 reactor designs. These counts include Spherical tokamak.
Not yet in the record for this approach: reactor designs.
Related approaches
Broader: Magnetic confinement
Narrower:
- Spherical tokamak A tokamak squeezed towards a cored-apple shape. The tighter aspect ratio holds plasma pressure with less magnetic field, which is efficient, but leaves very little room at the centre for the central column.
Companies 9
Includes companies recorded under a narrower approach, named beside each.
-
Commonwealth Fusion Systems -
Energy Singularity - ENN Science and Technology Development · Spherical tokamak
-
Firefly Fusion -
General Atomics -
Maritime Fusion -
Pranos Fusion -
Startorus Fusion · Spherical tokamak -
Tokamak Energy · Spherical tokamak
Laboratories and programmes 8
- Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
-
ITER Organization -
Korea Institute of Fusion Energy -
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics -
MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center - National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan
-
STEP · Spherical tokamak -
UK Atomic Energy Authority · Spherical tokamak
Devices 83
Operating devices first, then those being built or planned, then those shut down, suspended or cancelled.
- ADITYA-U Operating Institute for Plasma Research · IN · 5 measurements
- ALVAND Operating Atomic Energy Organization of Iran · IR · 5 measurements
- ASDEX UPGRADE Operating Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics · DE · 9 measurements
- DAMAVAND Operating Atomic Energy Organization of Iran · IR · 5 measurements
- DIII-D Operating General Atomics · US · 9 measurements
- EGYPTOR Operating Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority · EG · 5 measurements
- ETE Operating National Institute for Space Research · BR · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- EXL-50U Operating ENN Science and Technology Development · CN · Spherical tokamak
- Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Operating Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences · CN · 11 measurements
- FT-2 Operating Ioffe Institute · RU · 4 measurements
- GLAST-III Operating Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission · PK · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- GLOBUS-M2 Operating Ioffe Institute · RU · Spherical tokamak · 7 measurements
- GOLEM Operating Czech Technical University · CZ · 5 measurements
- GUTTA Operating Saint Petersburg State University · RU · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- HBT-EP Operating Columbia University · US · 4 measurements
- HH70 Operating Energy Singularity · CN
- HIST Operating University of Hyogo · JP · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- HL-2A Operating Southwestern Institute of Physics · CN · 5 measurements
- HL-2M Operating Southwestern Institute of Physics · CN · 5 measurements
- HYBTOK-II Operating Nagoya University · JP · 5 measurements
- IR-T1 Operating Islamic Azad University · IR · 5 measurements
- ISTTOK Operating Instituto Superior Técnico · PT · 4 measurements
- J-TEXT Operating Huazhong University of Science and Technology · CN · 5 measurements
- KSTAR Operating Korea Institute of Fusion Energy · KR · 11 measurements
- KTM Operating Institute of Atomic Energy of National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan · KZ · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- LATE Operating Kyoto University · JP · Spherical tokamak
- LIBTOR Operating Tajoura Nuclear Research Centre · LY · 4 measurements
- LTX-β Operating Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · US
- MAST-U Operating UK Atomic Energy Authority · GB · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- MEDUSA-CR Operating Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica · CR · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- MT-1 Operating Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission · PK · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- NORTH Operating Technical University of Denmark · DK · Spherical tokamak · 2 measurements
- NOVA-FURG Operating Federal University of Espírito Santo · BR · 5 measurements
- PEGASUS-III Operating University of Wisconsin-Madison · US · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- PHIX Operating Institute of Science Tokyo · JP · 5 measurements
- QUEST Operating Kyushu University · JP · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- SMART Operating University of Seville · ES · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- SST-1 Operating Institute for Plasma Research · IN · 5 measurements
- ST40 Operating Tokamak Energy · GB · Spherical tokamak · 13 measurements
- STOR-M Operating University of Saskatchewan · CA · 5 measurements
- SUNIST-1 Operating Tsinghua University · CN · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- T-11M Operating Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research · RU · 5 measurements
- T-15MD Operating National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute · RU · 5 measurements
- TCABR Operating University of São Paulo · BR · 5 measurements
- TCV Operating Swiss Plasma Center · CH · 4 measurements
- TOKASTAR-2 Operating Nagoya University · JP · 4 measurements
- TST-2 Operating The University of Tokyo · JP · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- TT-1 Operating Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology · TH · 4 measurements
- TUMAN-3M Operating Ioffe Institute · RU · 5 measurements
- UTST Operating The University of Tokyo · JP · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- VEST Operating Seoul National University · KR · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- WEST Operating CEA · FR · 6 measurements
- JT-60SA Commissioning National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology · JP · 5 measurements
- BEST Under construction Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences · CN
- COMPASS-U Under construction Institute of Plasma Physics · CZ · 5 measurements
- DTT Under construction ENEA · IT · 5 measurements
- ITER Under construction ITER Organization · FR · 10 measurements
- MT-2 Under construction Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission · PK · Spherical tokamak
- NSTX-U Under construction Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · US · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- SPARC Under construction Commonwealth Fusion Systems · US · 9 measurements
- SSST Under construction Institute for Plasma Research · IN · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- ARC Planned Commonwealth Fusion Systems · US · 1 measurement
- CFETR Planned CN
- EU-DEMO Planned 1 measurement
- PLATO Planned Kyushu University · JP · 5 measurements
- PST Planned Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission · PK · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- STEP Planned STEP · GB · Spherical tokamak
- Alcator A Shut down MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center · 4 measurements
- Alcator C Shut down MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center · 4 measurements
- ASDEX Shut down 3 measurements
- C-Mod Shut down 4 measurements
- EXL-50 Shut down ENN Science and Technology Development · CN · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
- FTU Shut down ENEA · IT · 5 measurements
- JT-60U Shut down JAEA · JP · 11 measurements
- MAST Shut down Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- NSTX Shut down Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
- PLT Shut down 4 measurements
- ST Shut down 4 measurements
- START Shut down Spherical tokamak · 3 measurements
- T-3 Shut down 4 measurements
- TFR Shut down 4 measurements
- Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Shut down Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · US · 6 measurements
- Joint European Torus Decommissioned UK Atomic Energy Authority · GB · 14 measurements
Measurements
75 devices using this approach carry 393 measurements: 330 claimed, 51 planned, 6 achieved, 3 superseded, 3 disputed. The values, each with its status and source, are on the benchmark and on each device's page. Most measured: Joint European Torus (14), ST40 (13), Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (11), KSTAR (11), JT-60U (11).
Guides
- Find companies by reactor type How to list the companies working on one kind of fusion machine or fission reactor, using the companies directory, the technology pages and the device table.
- Fusion approaches compared Every family of fusion machine, how each holds its fuel, the best result this dataset holds for it, its main unsolved problem and the organisations pursuing it.
- Compare approaches and devices How to use the comparison pages to set two approaches side by side, and the device table and leaderboards to compare individual machines.
- Commercial timeline of fusion power Six fusion power plants are on record, all still planned. The only dated electricity purchase is Helion's May 2023 deal to supply Microsoft from 2028.