Published by Australian Academy of Science
Thinking ahead – fusion energy for the 21st century? Box 2 | Fusion science in Australia

Timeline of fusion research in Australia

Australia has significant expertise in fusion. The fusion of light nuclei was first observed by Australian Sir Mark Oliphant in 1932.

1932	Sir Mark Oliphant discovers He3+, T and D–D reaction
1946	Peter Thonemann (Australia) and Sir GeorgeThomson (UK) pioneer toroidal confinement research
1958	Sir Mark Oliphant commences plasma physics research at the Australian National University (ANU)
1964–1978	LT1, LT2 and LT3 tokamaks operational at the ANU. From 1964 to 1969 this was the only tokamak located outside of the former USSR
1970–1998	Flinders University rotomak research program
1975–present	Inertial confinement research at the University of NSW
1978–1984	LT4 tokamak operational at the ANU
1981–1992	University of Sydney TORTUS tokamak program; study of Alfven wave physics
1984–present	SHEILA (Small Heliac Experimental Apparatus) and H1 heliac research program, and helicon wave heating at ANU
1988	Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation demonstrates the world’s first spherical torus, now a leading magnetic confinement concept
1997	H-1 National Plasma Fusion Research Facility established
1995–present	Research into electrostatic ion confinement at the University of Sydney

H1 National Plasma Research Facility

The Australian National University has a plasma confinement experiment called the H-1 heliac which is the centrepiece of the H-1 National Plasma Fusion Research Facility. It works much like a tokamak, but uses more complex magnet shapes, making it easier to confine the super hot plasma.

H-1 is a ‘flexible heliac’ which is basically a twisted doughnut shape. The twist of the plasma in the heliac is controlled by currents produced by a central circular conductor. This coil and 41 other electromagnet coils provide a high degree of control over the shape of the plasma, giving it good stability and confinement properties.

The H-1 facility is used to understand the behaviour of plasmas at temperatures approaching 1 million degrees Celsius. The plasma is generated using high powered radio waves, to turn low pressure gas into plasma. The plasma is then further heated by microwaves, similar to those used in a microwave oven, but with 250 times the power, at ten times the frequency.

The Facility provides a focus for national and international collaborative research in Australia, and makes significant contributions to the global fusion research effort. Researchers process and visualise the data provided by experiments on H-1 to understand the basic physics of hot plasma, and to measure the features of plasma behaviour under different conditions.

Possible Australian contributions to ITER

Australia is not part of the ITER partnership, but could supply scientific, technological and engineering expertise. Australia can contribute:

• knowledge and testing of advanced materials to withstand extreme heat and neutron bombardment;
• expertise in diagnostic systems; and
• computer modelling of plasma confinement and behaviour.

Australia currently supplies 70 per cent of the world's lithium, so it could also supply refined tritium fuel to ITER.

Related sites:

• Sir Mark Oliphant (Bright Sparcs Exhibition, Australia)

• The ITER project

• Fusion energy: Star power for a renewable future (Australian ITER Forum)

• H-1 National Plasma Research Facility (Australian National University)

Other boxes

Box 1. Comparison of amounts of fuel and waste

Box 3. There's work to be done