In fusion reactor designs, superconductors (which suffer no resistive power loss) are used to generate the magnetic fields that confine the 100 million degree C plasma. While increasing magnetic field strength offers potential ways to improve reactor performance, conventional low-temperature superconductors suffer dramatic drops in current carrying ability at high magnetic fields. Now, the emergence of high-temperature superconductors that can also operate at high magnetic fields opens a new, lower-cost path to fusion energy.
[...] While scientists have explored both of these paths to improving performance, the recent development of the so-called "high-temperature superconductors" opens a window for much higher magnetic fields, as the critical currents do not degrade rapidly, even at magnetic field values of 30 Tesla or higher. So these should really be called high-temperature, high-magnetic-field superconductors.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 13 2015, @10:48AM
With anything nuclear, whether fission or fusion, I strongly doubt there currently exists a better way. Nuclear forces are extremely short range, and the energy release effectively is through heat. Thus the only way to convert that energy is by converting the heat. And the most efficient known practical method to do that is the water-steam cycle used in today's power plants. Maybe one day thermoelectric generators get better than that, though.