Latest news with #PietroBarabaschi
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New nuclear fusion reactor's electromagnet could lift 10 monster trucks
The world's largest and most powerful superconducting electromagnet is ready to become the pulsing 'heart' inside of a massive tokamak nuclear fusion reactor. Developed over 40 years in collaboration with over 30 countries, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility in southern France aims to finally demonstrate nuclear fusion's potential as a commercially viable energy source. But in order to do that, ITER requires a six module Central Solenoid magnet system that weighs nearly 3,000 tons. Once assembled, the installation will be strong enough to lift a 112,000-pound aircraft carrier, or about 10 monster trucks. An acronym of the Russian-language designation of 'toroidal chamber with magnetic coils,' a tokamak is a donut-shaped fusion reactor that relies on pulsed magnetic charges to ionize only a few grams' worth of deuterium and tritium hydrogen gas fuel. The ionized plasma is then confined by an 'invisible cage' of magnetic energy while external heating systems increase plasma temperature to over 270,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit—or hotter than the sun's core. At that point, the plasma's atomic nuclei begin to combine (hence 'nuclear fusion'), in the process releasing unprecedented amounts of heat that can then hypothetically be used to provide limitless, clean energy to the masses. ITER engineers expect their tokamak reactor to generate 500 megawatts (Mw) of fusion power using just 50 Mw of input heating–compared with a nuclear fission reactor's roughly 1,000 Mw of power output from an input of 3000 Mw . This will enable ongoing fusion to become a mostly self-heating burning plasma. All that immense energy will be contained using the Central Solenoid's magnetic forces. '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,' ITER director general Pietro Barabaschi recently explained to Reuters. ITER has been plagued with delays for years thanks to a combination of logistical challenges, shifting geopolitical landscapes, and financial burdens. Now that the final Central Solenoid module is complete, all that's left is to finish installing the reactor's components and ready the facility for testing—but even that will take time. ITER's start-up phase for generating plasma likely won't take place until at least 2033. Even so, Barabaschi remains hopeful about the tokamak reactor's potential, as well as what it represents on a global scale. 'This achievement proves that when humanity faces existential challenges like climate change and energy security, we can overcome national differences to advance solutions,' he said in a statement. 'The ITER Project is the embodiment of hope. With ITER, we show that a sustainable energy future and a peaceful path forward are possible.'
Kyodo News
03-05-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
Int'l body promoting next-generation fusion energy joins Osaka expo
KYODO NEWS - 18 hours ago - 12:45 | Japan, All, Travel/Tourism, Expo A France-based international organization building an experimental nuclear fusion reactor is showcasing the clean energy technology at the World Exposition in Osaka, participating in the international event independently for the first time. The exhibits of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Organization explain the fusion energy process and the experimental reactor being built in southern France. While ITER Organization Director General Pietro Barabaschi is scheduled to visit the expo venue, Japan, the host of the six-month event, is highlighting its contribution to the project launched in 2007 to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. The project to build a demonstration fusion reactor involves China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States as well as the European Union. Fusion energy is generated when light atomic nuclei such as those in hydrogen merge to form a heavier nucleus. The byproduct-free energy, which scientists believe is still decades away, is often dubbed "the Sun on Earth" as the nuclear reaction is similar to the process that powers the Sun. Takayoshi Omae, the ITER Organization's chief strategist, says Japan has been playing a leading role in the project. "I hope people of the next generation who visit the expo will pick up the baton from the current generation in the pursuit of a society free of conflict over resources," Omae said. An experiment supporting the ITER project, conducted by a Japanese institute, in 2023 successfully produced a state of plasma in which light elements can fuse and yield energy. Related coverage: British pavilion at expo improves afternoon tea set after online stir Ticket sales for Osaka expo top 10 mil., most sold in advance "Flying car" demos at Osaka Expo halted as part falls mid-flight
The Mainichi
03-05-2025
- Science
- The Mainichi
Int'l body promoting next-generation fusion energy joins World Expo in Osaka
OSAKA (Kyodo) -- A France-based international organization building an experimental nuclear fusion reactor is showcasing the clean energy technology at the World Exposition in Osaka, participating in the international event independently for the first time. The exhibits of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Organization explain the fusion energy process and the experimental reactor being built in southern France. While ITER Organization Director General Pietro Barabaschi is scheduled to visit the expo venue, Japan, the host of the six-month event, is highlighting its contribution to the project launched in 2007 to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. The project to build a demonstration fusion reactor involves China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States as well as the European Union. Fusion energy is generated when light atomic nuclei such as those in hydrogen merge to form a heavier nucleus. The byproduct-free energy, which scientists believe is still decades away, is often dubbed "the Sun on Earth" as the nuclear reaction is similar to the process that powers the Sun. Takayoshi Omae, the ITER Organization's chief strategist, says Japan has been playing a leading role in the project. "I hope people of the next generation who visit the expo will pick up the baton from the current generation in the pursuit of a society free of conflict over resources," Omae said. An experiment supporting the ITER project, conducted by a Japanese institute, in 2023 successfully produced a state of plasma in which light elements can fuse and yield energy.
Kyodo News
03-05-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
Int'l body promoting next-generation fusion energy joins Osaka expo
KYODO NEWS - 14 minutes ago - 12:45 | Japan, All, Travel/Tourism, Expo A France-based international organization building an experimental nuclear fusion reactor is showcasing the clean energy technology at the World Exposition in Osaka, participating in the international event independently for the first time. The exhibits of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Organization explain the fusion energy process and the experimental reactor being built in southern France. While ITER Organization Director General Pietro Barabaschi is scheduled to visit the expo venue, Japan, the host of the six-month event, is highlighting its contribution to the project launched in 2007 to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. The project to build a demonstration fusion reactor involves China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States as well as the European Union. Fusion energy is generated when light atomic nuclei such as those in hydrogen merge to form a heavier nucleus. The byproduct-free energy, which scientists believe is still decades away, is often dubbed "the Sun on Earth" as the nuclear reaction is similar to the process that powers the Sun. Takayoshi Omae, the ITER Organization's chief strategist, says Japan has been playing a leading role in the project. "I hope people of the next generation who visit the expo will pick up the baton from the current generation in the pursuit of a society free of conflict over resources," Omae said. An experiment supporting the ITER project, conducted by a Japanese institute, in 2023 successfully produced a state of plasma in which light elements can fuse and yield energy. Related coverage: British pavilion at expo improves afternoon tea set after online stir Ticket sales for Osaka expo top 10 mil., most sold in advance "Flying car" demos at Osaka Expo halted as part falls mid-flight
India.com
02-05-2025
- Science
- India.com
Masterstroke by India as it gets ready to create artificial...., after world's most powerful magnet comes to....
Masterstroke by India as it gets ready to create artificial...., after world's most powerful magnet comes to.... India is entering a hopeful future where energy can flow endlessly, cleanly, and safely, without pollution and free from fuel shortages, by joining the world's largest scientific collaboration, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which aims to replicate the energy of the sun here on Earth. Set against the beautiful scenery of southern France, ITER brings together the genius and resources of 30 countries, including India, the United States, Japan, China, Russia, and various nations from the European Union. Their mission, while simply stated, carries immense ambition: to unlock the core power of nuclear fusion, the very reaction that powers our sun. Fusion works by combining two light atomic nuclei into a heavier nucleus, releasing a vast amount of energy in the process. Unlike nuclear fission, the method that currently fuels our nuclear plants and produces hazardous waste, fusion presents a cleaner and safer alternative. However, leveraging this phenomenon on Earth requires managing extraordinary heat and pressure, challenges that scientists have been fervently working to conquer for decades. At the heart of the ITER reactor lies a powerful magnet, recently built and thoroughly tested in the United States. This magnet, known as the central solenoid, is the strongest of its kind and plays a vital role in containing the superheated plasma—a gas so hot that it reaches temperatures above 150 million degrees Celsius—long enough to enable fusion to take place. To illustrate its importance, ITER's Director-General Pietro Barabaschi used a meaningful analogy: 'The wine is maybe more important than the bottle, but you need the bottle in order to put the wine inside.' In this analogy, the plasma represents the exquisite wine, while the magnet acts as the essential bottle that meticulously contains the unstable fusion process. India's Role in a Brighter Tomorrow India's involvement with ITER goes well beyond financial backing; Indian scientists and engineers are actively participating in the construction of crucial components for the reactor and assisting with its assembly. This involvement positions them at the leading edge of a transformative shift in global energy paradigms. If ITER achieves its ambitious aspirations, the consequences will extend far beyond a simple scientific milestone; it has the potential to revolutionize the very basis of global energy. With India playing a pivotal role in this groundbreaking project, the future of energy is set to be cleaner, brighter, and significantly more secure for generations to come.
