UK research in fusion

The ultimate aim of fusion research is to tap the virtually limitless fuel resources of deuterium and lithium in an economic and safe way of electricity generation. The overall progress in a world context now makes it reasonable to suppose that a fusion reactor generating electricity is technically possible, and that the problem should, in the next decade, start to take on an optimization character. The main UK research in fusion is carried out by the UKAEA at its Culham Laboratory and is part of the European Community's coordinated program. At Culham the research program is largely directed toward the problems of confinement of plasma by toroidal magnetic fields, of minimizing the interaction of plasma and vacuum vessel wall, and of methods of heating confined plasma. Longer range studies of the technological problems that will arise in fusion reactors also receive support. Throughout this work assistance is derived from interested university groups. On the Culham site the European Community has constructed the Joint European Torus, to which the UK makes an especially strong contribution. (author)