Fusion Reactors

Introduction

• Fusion is a process in which two atomic nuclei combine to form a nucleus of larger mass, releasing a significant amount of energy.
• Fusion reactors aim to replicate the energy generation process of the sun and stars on Earth for clean and sustainable energy production.

Challenges in Fusion

• Fusion involves the combination of small hydrogen atoms, which require extremely high temperatures (around 150 million°C) to fuse.
• At such high temperatures, hydrogen becomes a plasma rather than a gas.

Magnetic Confinement

• To contain the superheated plasma, it must be isolated from any material. This is achieved by using a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) magnetic field.
• A device called a tokamak is used for magnetic confinement.

Tokamak Reactors

• Tokamak reactors are futuristic-looking devices designed to create and maintain the necessary magnetic fields for plasma containment.
• The technology for magnetic confinement is highly complex and continually under development.

The ITER Project

• ITER, which stands for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, is one of the most significant tokamak fusion reactor projects.
• It is located in southern France and aims to demonstrate the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a large-scale and sustainable energy source.

Challenges in Plasma Containment

The primary challenges in plasma containment include:

• Maintaining plasma stability and equilibrium.
• Injecting more hydrogen fuel into the plasma.
• Efficiently removing the heat produced during the fusion process.

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Physics

Fusion Reactors

Summary

• Fusion reactors aim to replicate the energy generation process of stars on Earth for clean and sustainable energy production.
• These reactors use magnetic confinement within tokamaks to contain the superheated hydrogen plasma.
• ITER is a major international fusion project in southern France, demonstrating the potential of nuclear fusion as a viable energy source.
• Plasma stability, fuel injection, and heat removal are key challenges in achieving controlled and efficient fusion reactions for practical energy generation.