Recently, ITER experimental reactor site in the Council of the Organization – Cadarache in France held a special meeting, 7 participating countries and organizations (China, Korea, European Union, India, Japan, Russia and the United States) with the construction of the total project budget for ITER amendments, the entire time course of implementation of the scheme once again the two main consultation, consensus was finally reached: the immediate experimental reactor is scheduled to begin construction process, which marks the human exploration of controlled nuclear fusion into a crucial stage of development -
Human will be good clean energy
50 years ago, mankind has been achieved on Earth in the solar interior of deuterium (dāo) tritium (chuān) of the nuclear process, which is a hydrogen bomb explosion.
The success of the hydrogen bomb detonated, so that human beings really appreciate the quality of the lightest of the nuclei of two polymer could even instant release tremendous energy so amazing! If people’s needs in accordance with the effective control of the reaction process, so that the energy for a long time, sustained release, this reaction can be brought tremendous energy to human power, to achieve fusion energy for peaceful uses.
We are more familiar nuclear power, is 50 years from the last century developed the peaceful use of nuclear fission energy technology. After the traditional burning of fossil fuels, emissions of greenhouse gases, pollution of the atmosphere of the defects compared to the use of nuclear energy to clean more. Kexi use of nuclear fission energy will have difficulty Chuli of nuclear waste, processing costs rather Gao, plus Anquanyunxing problem occur, it would Ren Lei Yi Ran’s Shengcunhuanjing threat. With the world’s nuclear fuel resources (uranium ore) for 70 years we have only enough, the use of nuclear energy is still not well solved, “clean” and “permanent” two major problems.
Once the controlled nuclear fusion to be successful, not only generated tremendous energy, can also bring about a satisfactory and enduring humanity of clean energy.
First, the consumption of nuclear fusion “fuel” (deuterium and tritium) come from the world’s ubiquitous water, fuel rich in natural resources. A water molecule has two hydrogen atoms, its isotope deuterium (also known as “heavy hydrogen”), combined with the oxygen atom of water generated is called “heavy water”, although the proportion in seawater is small, but people just use distilled method can get heavy water from seawater, and then electrolysis of heavy water can be deuterium. The tritium concentration in seawater can also abundant element in the manufacture of lithium out. Because the lithium atoms in the heavy water reactor by neutron bombardment in and then will split into tritium and helium. Scientists will use the lithium target system into the heavy water reactor conditions, obtained in the neutron irradiation of tritium.
Particularly important is that the waste generated by nuclear fusion reaction is helium, it does not bring pollution to the environment, which means that once the nuclear process control, human beings will be an ideal clean energy.
From nuclear physics theory and Einstein’s famous mass energy conversion formula indicates that fusion can be several times bigger than the fission energy. The measure, l liter of sea water contains deuterium fusion energy produced is equivalent to 300 liters of gasoline, the energy released; 1 kg of deuterium fusion energy released by all the 11,000 tons of coal is roughly equivalent to the energy released; deuterium in sea water reserves sufficient human use of several billion years. This is by far no new energy can match the.
No wonder, people of this image in controlled nuclear fusion called “artificial sun” program.
ITER reactor
Is the internal temperature high “magnetic cage”
The planned experimental reactor ITER is a full superconducting Tokamak device, high 24 meters, 30 meters in diameter, after completion of the total weight will reach 23,000 tons, more than three Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (7300 tons) but also heavy.
Fuel (a mixture of deuterium and tritium) with, have to put them in a “cage” in people to control it. Scientists first of these fuels into ions (which is material in addition to solid, liquid and gaseous form in existence beyond the fourth) state, electric and magnetic methods can be bound to control them.
ITER experimental reactor program designed cage is a large enough “magnetic cage”, it is actually a giant 18 by the D-loop formed by the magnetic field coil, each section of the weight 360 tons, equivalent to a fully loaded Boeing 747-300 aircraft total weight. When a powerful current through the large coil, loop within the ring produce a strong magnetic field, magnetic field on charged particles within the plasma by its binding in the magnetic field lines. Can imagine, up to 150 million degrees Celsius (equivalent to 10 times the solar core temperature) is very high temperature plasma, the particle motion is very intense, so there must be a strong enough magnetic field to constrain them. This is too difficult! Fortunately, the rapid progress of superconducting technology was of great help.
Heat production, another important condition for nuclear fusion is to create up to 150 million degrees Celsius temperature, high temperature plasma, in such circumstances, the positively charged deuteron and tritium to Kefu electrostatic repulsion with each other before the collision. ITER using methods similar to microwave generation high-temperature heating of food. Participate in cooperative efforts of our scientists are even more performance of “high-power radio frequency heating device” to achieve it.
Have to consider is: such a high temperature plasma, what material for the container (the reactor) have to suffer. Scientists are very smart, constrained by the magnetic field can ring temperature plasma confinement in the middle without contact with reactor reactor’s “wall.” However, this high temperature still by thermal convection, thermal radiation to heat the reactor reached the wall. Later, scientists using the high temperature of the graphite materials to manufacture the reactor, is still on its inner lining material containing lithium.
The latest budget increase to 16 billion euros
20 years to achieve experimental goals?
Proposed magnetic confinement from the beginning, it was once predicted 50 years to achieve controlled nuclear fusion. So far, over half a century later, scientists still continue to overcome similar obstacles and challenges these technologies from the initial target is still quite long. The challenge is, what method of plasma heating up to 150 million degrees Celsius, but also in such a long time temperature stability to maintain the plasma density of states in order to ensure sustained thermonuclear fusion. Scientists have estimated that, no matter how deuterium and tritium ions are bound, or some higher energy ions will escape out. If you can not maintain an adequate and stable plasma, fusion reaction can not be sustained. ITER is also facing many similar challenges.
However, human technology is always progressing, and we believe that in the next few decades, more and newer technologies are going to be there, man will use these newer techniques, more specific understanding of controlled nuclear fusion physical process, and with their own wisdom and ability to prove that human beings get permanent clean energy future is bright.
ITER Council convened in a few days ago, in the commitment of the parties to budget an additional 160 billion euros, ITER plans to amend the schedule is recognized as follows: from 2007 to 2019 the end of the construction phase for the experimental reactor. Experimental Reactor building mileage sign is: the first plasma in November 2019 before the birth; the next phase of operation for the pilot phase thermal nuclear fusion, which called in March 2027 before the start of deuterium and tritium within the reactor response until it output power up to 500,000 kilowatts.
Artificial sun, clean energy
