DIII-D Partners to Advance Fusion Plasma Testing

The San Diego facility is installing a new negative triangularity divertor to study heat and particle exhaust.

Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Nuclear

DIII-D Partners to Advance Fusion Plasma Testing

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The DIII-D National Fusion Facility is partnering with Kyoto Fusioneering to install a specialized divertor designed for negative triangularity research. This collaboration aims to better manage heat and particle exhaust within a tokamak plasma environment.

Why it matters

Current divertor systems have not yet fully evaluated the stability benefits of negative triangularity. This project seeks to solve critical heat burst issues that currently challenge fusion reactor designs.

Researchers at the DIII-D facility will utilize this new divertor to test core-edge integration and power exhaust. The program aims to share findings freely with developers currently working on fusion pilot plant projects.

The players

DIII-D National Fusion Facility

Located in San Diego, this is a national fusion research laboratory that operates a tokamak to explore energy production.

Kyoto Fusioneering

This is a private-sector fusion technology company that designs and supplies advanced engineering solutions for power plants.

Columbia University

This is an Ivy League research institution that contributes academic expertise to major collaborative scientific energy projects.

The details

Kyoto Fusioneering will manufacture and supply the physical tiles for the new divertor system at the San Diego facility. This effort, which includes participation from Columbia University researchers, aims to avoid edge-localized mode heat burst instabilities.

Negative triangularity concepts were first considered for tokamak operations during the 1970s and 1980s.
DIII-D completed an initial testing campaign using temporary tiles in 2023.
DIII-D announced a partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in early 2026.

The Big Picture

This project revisits concepts explored during the 1970s tokamak development cycle to solve modern structural challenges. It represents a shift from theoretical modeling to empirical testing of plasma stability in commercial-grade reactor conditions.

Successfully managing heat exhaust in these reactors is a critical step toward developing viable fusion energy. This research provides the essential data needed to potentially lower the cost and increase the efficiency of future clean energy power plants.

The takeaway

This partnership demonstrates the increasing reliance on private-public collaboration to overcome long-standing hurdles in fusion energy. Mastering negative triangularity could significantly improve the reliability of future reactors by preventing plasma instabilities.