India ready to create artificial Sun as world's most powerful magnet comes to life
Scientists from 30 countries including India are ready to assemble the world's most powerful magnet to boost the development of the global nuclear fusion project.The final component of the system - the central solenoid - had been completed and tested by the United States, and assembly was now underway.The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, which has been delayed several times, aims to generate clean energy by smashing atoms together at super-high temperatures.
The aerial video of the ITER facility. (Photo: ITER)
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Based in southern France and backed by the United States, China, Japan, Russia and the European Union, ITER needs magnetic power to create an invisible cage to confine super-hot plasma particles that combine and fuse to release energy."It is like the bottle in a bottle of wine: of course, the wine is maybe more important than the bottle, but you need the bottle in order to put the wine inside," said Pietro Barabaschi, ITER's director general.Nuclear fusion is the process of combining two light atomic nuclei—typically isotopes of hydrogen-like deuterium and tritium—into a single heavier nucleus, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. This is the same process that powers the sun and other stars.ITER will use deuterium and tritium as fuel. These are heated to over 150 millionC—ten times hotter than the sun's core—to form a plasma.
The ITER Tokamak will be the largest device of its kind in the world. (Photo: ITER)
advertisementThe hot plasma is held in place inside a donut-shaped chamber called a tokamak using powerful superconducting magnets. This prevents the plasma from touching the walls and cooling down. Fusion Reaction: Inside the tokamak, high-speed collisions between nuclei result in fusion reactions, releasing high-energy neutrons.The magnet was originally scheduled for completion in 2021 but has been beset by delays. Barabaschi said the "crisis" was now over and construction was proceeding at the fastest pace in ITER's history. The start-up phase of the project will begin in 2033 when it is scheduled to start generating plasma.Fusion investment has been growing, with dozens of initiatives currently underway. Several private start-ups have said they can build commercial fusion reactors within a decade.India joined the project in 2005 and has been part of its construction. It contributes to the project through in-kind deliveries, scientific research, and financial contributions.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before concluding his trip to France in February this year, visited the ITER facility. He was joined by French President Emmanuel Macron on the visit as the two leaders met and interacted with scientists and engineers of the facility.Must Watch
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