The Tokamak "тороидальная камера в магнитных катушках" Invented in the 1950s Leading candidate for fusion energy production Startup Plasma heating –Ohmic heating –Neutral-beam injection –Magnetic comression –Radio-frequency heating

Producing electricity from fusion

JET Joint European Torus The largest nuclear fusion experimental reactor yet built Located in Culham, UK First experiments started in 1983 Achieved a fusion power of 16 MW in 1997 Q = 0.65 Plasma radius: 2.96m Uses D-T fusion

Internal view of the JET tokamak

ITER ITER (“the way” in Latin) is the next major step in the development of fusion. Objective - To demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. The World’s largest fusion energy research project.

The ITER Project Will be based in Cadarache, France Cost approx. € 10 billion Construction will begin in 2008 First plasma operation is expected in 2016 Fusion power: 500 MW Plasma radius: 6.2 m Plasma volume: 840 m³ Mission Produce a steady-state plasma with a Q value of greater than 5 Develop technologies and processes needed for a fusion power plant

The ITER Tokamak

Fusion Features Inexhaustible supply of fuel No CO 2 or air pollution High energy density fuel –1 gram of fully reacted Deuterium-Tritium = 26 MWh of electricity (~10 Tonnes of Coal!) Very Safe –Reaction can be terminated easily –No possibility of a runaway reaction or meltdown –Low fuel inventory No radioactive “ash” and no long-lived radioactive waste No obvious barriers to rate of growth once fusion has passed threshold of viability

Fusion Issues More research and development needed Fusion reaction is difficult to start and maintain High temperature (~100 million Kelvin) in a pure environment is required Technically complex & large devices are required Economic viability

The Future DEMO –Intended to be bulit after ITER –2 GW on continual basis with Q > 25 Commercial Fusion power plants by 2050? The energy challenge and the potential of fusion argue for developing fusion as rapidly as reasonably possible

Fusion works in the Sun why wouldn’t it work on Earth