Friday, February 25, 2011

Bulletproof plastic makes perfect vacuum for experimental reactor

Bulletproof plastic makes perfect vacuum for experimental reactor 
Ted Franckowiak, a PPPL machinist, mills a vacuum vessel made of bulletproof polycarbonate that will be part of the Princeton field-reversed-configuration-2 (PFRC-2), a research device for developing small advanced fusion reactors.  PFRC-2 will be driven by many technological innovations, including high-temperature superconducting magnets. The construction is supported by a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Operations are scheduled to begin in December.  (Photo by Elle Starkman, PPPL) http://www.pppl.gov/