Teaching and Research in Fusion Plasmas and Technology at the University of Illinois

Abstract

Teaching in fusion at the University of Illinois is an integrated part of the nuclear engineering curriculum. Through the use of two key courses, “Introduction to Fusion” and “Fusion Systems basic preparation for those wishing to specialize in fusion is provided. These courses are primarily directed to plasma aspects of fusion, but materials and other engineering aspects have been integrated into the curriculum through a broadened coverage in such existing courses as nuclear materials, shielding, and reactor physics.

Research is primarily focused at the PhD level, although some MS studies are in progress. While current theses involve a wide variety of topics, one major area being pursued is the study of advanced fuel (non-deuterium-tritium) reactors based on two-component fusion and other concepts. This effort consists of a series of loosely knit subtasks related to such problems as cyclotron emission and direct energy conversion. Also, various res earch involving charge-exchange losses during neutral-beam injection, vacuum-wall sputtering, and related topics has developed as a direct outgrowth of the PROMETHEUS project, which involved the conceptual design of a power-consuming mirror-type reactor for materials and engineering tests.