Divertor

A magnetic-confinement device that guides plasma exhaust and impurities from a fusion reactor’s core to dedicated target surfaces, where heat and particles can be removed.

Magnetic separatrix: The boundary between magnetic field lines that remain confined and those that intersect material surfaces. It separates the confined core from plasma that flows into the divertor.
Magnetic confinement fusion: An approach to fusion that uses magnetic fields to confine hot plasma away from material walls. A divertor is an exhaust-handling component of magnetic-confinement machines.
ITER: An international experimental tokamak being built in France to demonstrate burning-plasma operation. ITER’s divertor is designed to handle extreme exhaust loads in a large superconducting tokamak.
Limiter (fusion): A material boundary that limits a confined plasma by setting the surface its outer region contacts. A limiter intercepts edge plasma directly, whereas a divertor routes it through a magnetic separatrix.
Heat flux: The rate of thermal energy transfer through a unit area. Divertor targets must withstand highly concentrated heat flux from escaping plasma.
X-point: A point in a tokamak magnetic field where the poloidal component vanishes and field lines form a separatrix. Its magnetic geometry creates the edge region that directs plasma toward divertor targets.
Tokamak: A toroidal magnetic-confinement device that uses plasma current and external coils to confine fusion plasma. Tokamaks commonly use divertors to manage plasma exhaust.
DEMO: A proposed class of fusion power plants intended to demonstrate electricity production beyond experimental reactors. DEMO concepts must show that divertor exhaust can be managed during power-plant operation.
Double-null configuration: A tokamak magnetic configuration with two X-points and two divertor regions. It divides exhaust between upper and lower divertors instead of relying on a single-null arrangement.
Erosion: The gradual loss of material from a surface through physical or chemical processes. Plasma particles can erode divertor targets and contaminate the confined plasma.

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Large Helical DeviceRelated: The device studies divertor designs for handling particle and heat exhaust.