When described, the production of fusion energy is very simple: light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier atomic nucleus, and as a result an enormous amount of energy is released. However, implementation is more difficult – engineer Zsolt Harvas, an expert in nuclear energy, explained to us about fusion power plants and the possibility of putting them to work for the first time.
He explained that the most promising type of fusion reactor today is the tokamak, which is the word A “Toroidal chamber with magnetic coils“ Russian abbreviation of the term. The world’s first tokamak equipment was completed in 1954 at the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow. By 1958, after the prototype, the world’s first “real” tokamak was completed. Later, the tokamak plasma TMiv3 and T4, heated to ten million degrees Celsius, gave new hope and started a real tokamak construction fever in the world. Hundreds of such devices have been created in Europe, China, the USA and, of course, Russia. The expert pointed out that tokamak to this day are the most successful and promising type of fusion equipment in the world.
Nuclear fusion could be a major breakthrough in the world’s electricity supply in the future. As the expert explained, the two components of fusion fuel are deuterium and tritium, which are heavier and rarer isotopes of hydrogen. Deuterium can be found in sufficient quantities in natural waters for millions of years, while tritium is extremely rare in nature, but can be produced from lithium, a metal that is also found in huge quantities on Earth. Lithium is also used in electrical equipment batteries. Fusion fuel is therefore practically unlimited. In addition, this energy is very environmentally friendly, as the energy production is free of carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions – explained the professional argument in its favor.
But he warned that harnessing fusion energy and building a fusion power plant is not an easy task, as the fusion fuel must be heated to 100-150 million degrees Celsius, ten times hotter than the temperature of the sun. The plasma must also remain together at this temperature for fusion to be sustainable. At the same time, technological development has no limits, as the world’s scientists work in international cooperation to ensure that the possibility of fusion energy production is at the service of humanity. However, to achieve this goal, there are still countless technological challenges that need to be solved by engineers and physicists.
According to the current situation, the first fusion reactor, DEMO, which will also be able to feed energy into the electricity grid, is scheduled to be built in the period from 2050 to 2055. France is at the forefront of countries developing this technology.
Zsolt Harvas explained that the most important station currently on the path to fusion energy production is ITER, which is being built in Cadarache in southern France, and with the largest tokamak device to date, it will raise fusion research to a new scientific and new level. Technological level, where many physical processes and technological solutions will be tested for the first time. Experts point to ITER as the most complex device ever built in the world. In addition to the thermal power of 50 MW, the priority goal is to achieve a fusion power of 500 MW, demonstrating the possibility of using fusion as a power source, as well as testing tritium breeding solutions.
As members of the ITER project, the European Union, Russia, the USA, China, India, Japan and South Korea have pooled their intellectual, development and manufacturing capabilities to conquer one of the greatest frontiers of science, which seeks to reproduce on Earth the limitless energy that fuels the Sun and the stars. The investment requires the production of more than ten million spare parts.
The State concerned Rosatom bears responsibility for fulfilling the Russian commitment, while the work is coordinated by the ITER Project Center of the State Rosatom. Russia is participating in the project in several ways. On the one hand, it contributes to financial support to the international budget of ITER, and on the other hand, it manufactures and supplies 25 complex high-tech equipment and systems worth nine percent of the construction costs of the thermonuclear reactor.
Despite the current sanctions and restrictions, Russia continues to fully fulfill its obligations under the international ITER project and, in accordance with the schedule, ensures the timely delivery of high-tech equipment for the project. On February 10, 2023, for example, a Russian superconducting magnetic coil marked PF1 to create the poloidal magnetic field arrived at the ITER construction site in France. This equipment is the largest and one of the most important parts of the future fusion reactor.
Finally, the expert drew attention to the fact that fusion power plants can produce a huge amount of energy continuously and with constant production. For example, if we take the annual energy demand of a city with a population of one million people, it could be covered by 400,000 tons of coal, 250,000 tons of oil, or just 60 kilograms of fusion fuel. If fusion energy production is achieved, it will be able to provide humanity with an unlimited amount of climate-friendly energy in the long term.
Cover image: illustration (Photo: MTI/Zsolt Szigetváry)
