Experimental ST devices like MAST are extremely valuable tools in research into the physics of plasmas. The improved understanding of the behaviour of fusion plasmas will accelerate progress towards magnetic confinement fusion of all types, not just Spherical Tokamaks.

The ST Power Plant conceptual design has shown that a viable electricity-producing power station could be built based on a Spherical Tokamak.

Apart from physics experiments and power plants, what else could the ST concept do?

Component Test Facility

A ST could make a good basis for a volume neutron source, providing a flux of neutrons for testing materials and components being developed for fusion power plants of the future. An outline design for a CTF (pictured) has been studied at Culham since 1994.

Actinide Burner

Another idea for using the source of neutrons generated by a spherical tokamak is to "burn" unwanted long-lived actinides present in the spent fuel from a nuclear (fission) power station. By transmuting these into shorter-lived nuclides, the waste burden from conventional nuclear power could be alleviated.

Space Propulsion

A futuristic concept is to power spacecraft by fusion power. A spherical tokamak may represent an ideal compact unit to propell the human race into the wider universe!