Research teams operating superconducting tokamak facilities have recorded a new benchmark for sustained high-temperature plasma stability. The facility maintained operational core temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius for more than six minutes without encountering magnetohydrodynamic disruptions.
Engineering Hurdles for Commercial Scale
While the milestone demonstrates improved magnetic field control, commercial viability remains constrained by material degradation in the reactor vessel walls. Structural engineers are evaluating tungsten-alloy divertors to mitigate high-flux heat damage during continuous operations.