Speaker: Egemen Kolemen, Princeton University
Title: “Engineering Solutions for Fusion Energy: Control and Liquid Metals"
Abstract: I will give an overview of our group’s research on the challenges associated with operating fusion reactors close to both the edge of plasma stability boundaries and the technical possibilities of materials engineering and nuclear operation. In order to overcome the high heat flux that is deposited on the reactor divertor, we are developing liquid metal technology on Liquid Metal eXperiment (LMX). We build real-time diagnostics to monitor the state of the reactor and develop fast and robust numerical methods to make sense of this data, fusing this information with novel control algorithms to optimize the performance and stability of the plasma and the fusion reactor. I will also touch on the new stellarator equilibrium algorithms and low temperature plasma diagnostics we are developing for plasma-assisted chemical conversion on Plasma Enhanced Chemistry eXperiment (PECX).
Biography: Egemen Kolemen is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, jointly appointed with the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). His research focuses on the application of engineering solutions to experimental plasma physics, primarily to address the challenges of fusion reactor design. His projects include the development of liquid metal walls for fusion reactors, plasma systems for catalysis of chemical reactions, and control systems for detection and stabilization of plasma instabilities for tokamaks and stellarators.