Fusing together to create stars
1.39 million km away from earth, the Sun is the most important source of energy for life. One would need to explode 100 billion tons of dynamite every second to match the energy produced by the sun, according to NASA.?
Through most of the Sun's life, energy has been produced by nuclear fusion in its core region; this process converts hydrogen into helium. Every second Sun converts 600 million tonnes of hydrogen into helium
We have been harnessing nuclear energy on earth too. Through the other type of nuclear reaction i.e. nuclear fission. Both Nuclear fission and fusion were discovered in the 1930s. But it is only through nuclear fission that we have been able to create energy.?
Fission occurs when a neutron slams into a larger atom, forcing it to excite and split into two smaller atoms—also known as fission products. Additional neutrons are also released that can initiate a chain reaction. When each atom splits, a tremendous amount of energy is released.?
Uranium and plutonium are most commonly used for fission reactions in nuclear power reactors because they are easy to initiate and control. The energy released by fission in these reactors heats water into steam. The steam is used to spin a turbine to produce carbon-free electricity. A very clean source of energy.
But one highly undesirable part of nuclear fission reaction is the radioactive (or nuclear) waste, a byproduct from nuclear reactors. And if met with an accident, these materials can be very dangerous to mankind and the environment.?
Till about 7 years back, there had been more than 100 serious nuclear accidents recorded and incidents from the use of nuclear power. Fifty-seven accidents or severe incidents have occurred since the Chernobyl disaster, and about 60% of all nuclear-related accidents/severe incidents have occurred in the USA.
Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, involves bringing together atoms of lighter elements, like hydrogen. Since the nucleus of each atom is positively charged, there is a natural force that repels the atoms and keeps them from getting close enough to “fuse.” The fusion process, therefore, must use extreme temperatures and pressures to overcome the forces that naturally want to repel the atoms, and instead push their nuclei together, releasing energy. This has been almost impossible to achieve till now. Fusion offers a cleaner and safer energy solution than coal, natural gas, or nuclear power. Nuclear fusion will be the ultimate energy source. If we are able to produce energy through nuclear fusion, there will never be an energy crisis again.
Individually the scientists have been trying for decades to create nuclear fusion beyond short bursts. More than 100 nuclear fusion reactors have been built, but not yielded the results desired.?
Now, the world’s most technologically-advanced countries have gotten together to create a miniature sun on Earth. It is being built in southern France and is named ‘The Way’, otherwise technically called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).Construction of the ITER complex started in 2013, and assembly of the tokamak began in 2020.
This experiment aims to ?demonstrate that with this ITER fusion nuclear power plant we are capable of producing more energy than we absorb, producing 500 MW of thermal power by consuming 50 MW. To achieve "the star reaction", a temperature of 150 million degrees Centigrade has to be achieved inside the chamber and many other unachieved conditions.?
Seven partner nations are now cooperatively making this mini Sun; these are: USA, Russia, South Korea, Japan, China, India and the EU. Since the massive reactor is being made at Cadarache in Europe, the EU is taking care of 45% of the cost of construction—the rest of the member nations are sharing 9.1% cost each. There are over a million different parts which will be sourced from over 45 countries, and it is expected that, by 2025, the ITER machine will be ready for its first experimental run.
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India is contributing resources worth about Rs 20,000 crore or about $2.2 billion to this effort, and in return, while contributing to less than 10% of the cost, India will get access to 100% of the intellectual property related to ITER. Thus, in future, a fusion energy reactor can actually be made in India.
?Talking about India’s contribution, the 1250 tonne cryostat base manufactured by Larsen and Toubro’s heavy engineering division is the single largest section of the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor has been successfully lifted and placed into the reactor building in France, accomplishing a major milestone in the nuclear engineering world.?
The cryostat forms the vacuum-tight container surrounding the reactor vacuum vessel and the superconducting magnets and acts essentially as a very large refrigerator.
Imagine almost limitless clean, carbon-free electricity. That’s the dream that’s driving scientists to build the mini Sun on earth and it is a proud feeling that India is contributing significantly to this mission.?
Let's fo our bit in our offices. Let's bring the best within ourselves, by bringing all our teammates and dream big, and create bigger than what we can individually do. Lets make difference in a way that changes the course of history.
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3 年Vivek reminds me of school days, this used to be a hot topic of discussion and project in our Physics class. Well this is fusion to the core!!!!