Daejeon, South Korea: At National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI), Korea thrusts itself to the frontier of fusion research with its Korean Superconducting Tokamak Reactor (KSTAR).
KSTAR is a tokamak, a device which uses strong magnetic field to confine hot plasma, in order to induce nuclear fusion. Niobium-tin alloy and superconducting magnets are keys to KSTAR performance. Its first plasma was achieved a few months ago. In Fall 2009, research is planned to begin in full steam. KSTAR results will compete with time. 2016 to be exact. That's the year that ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in Cadarache, France will have its first plasma.
Both ITER and KSTAR will operate plasma with a D-shaped cross section, unlike some older tokamaks. Fusion scientists have declared that KSTAR will be an important testbed, which will provide data to be used in designing the operating scenarios for ITER, says Hutch Nielson of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
ITER will probably cost around $1 million a day. That's why efficient operation is crucial for its success.
NFRI President Gyung-Su Lee convinced the major players in Korean industry to support the KSTAR project by convincing them that without the project, Korea will have to buy fusion reactors from others. Government soon follows suit. They are convinced that investing in future energy technology is like buying insurance.
original article (PDF): Science Mag article