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ITER is ‘the way’ to the future of energy

Ever wondered what makes the sun so hot? The process is called fusion and it involves the coming together of four hydrogen nuclei to form a helium nucleus.

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Ever wondered what makes the sun so hot? The process is called fusion and it involves the coming together of four hydrogen nuclei to form a helium nucleus. It is accompanied by the release of huge amounts of energy which we get in the form of light and heat. Now, scientists are trying to replicate the fusion process in an experimental project and India is playing a crucial role in it.

The International Thermonuclear Energy Reactor (ITER) project is a joint international research project that will demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power. The countries involved in this one-of-its-kind project are USA, European Union, Japan, Russia, India, China and South Korea.

Carlos Alejaldre, deputy director general of ITER, who was in Mumbai to attend a colloquium at BARC spoke extensively on the project. Terming it as one of the most challenging projects ever, Alejaldre said the project would integrate together key technologies from various fields.

So what is the project all about? “The project involves production of 500 MW of power for a considerable amount of time by fusing deuterium and tritium (both are isotopes of hydrogen),” Alejaldre said.

And this is no ordinary power production by any means. “Deuterium and Tritium would be fused at temperatures ranging from 100 to 200 million degrees and at pressure of 106 atmosphere,” he added.

The construction of the reactor would begin in 2009 and it will become operational in 2016.

According to Alejaldre, India is playing a crucial role in this project. “India would be constructing cryostats. These are superconducting devices which operate at very low temperatures. India would also be supplying several power supplies diagnostics.”

India’s overall contribution to the project would be ten per cent. “This project would put India on equal footing with China, South Korea, USA, Russia, Japan and the European Union,” he added.

According to Alejarde, India’s inclusion sends a strong political message as well. “Besides the contribution in terms of technical know-how, India’s inclusion means that now ITER represents 50 per cent of human population. It makes us more responsible to deliver results in time.”

Alejaldre claims ITER would be one of the safest nuclear installations. “Its fuel inventory is extremely small. At any given point of time, only 1 gram of fuel is required.

Secondly a runaway reaction is not possible in this reactor and after shutdown, the residual heat is small. Besides the emission level is very low and there is no long-lived radioactivity,” he said.

Alejaldre believes the advance in fusion technology has been faster than Moore’s law which predicts advances in the power of computer processor. “ITER represents a quantum leap in fusion power production. The maximum amount of power generated in a fusion power plant so far was 16 MW. In ITER, this number will swell to 500 MW,” he said.

So when will the fusion power of ITER actually reach home? “ITER is a purely experimental project. The 500 MW power won’t be connected to the grid. However, if all goes well with ITER, a machine considerably bigger than ITER should start generating electrical power by 2040.”

Alejaldre feels satisfied about the fact that the fusion project has taken shape. “We have always been talking about fusion and now we are doing it. Coincidentally, in Greek, ITER means ‘the way’ and this project is surely the way ahead for humanity.”

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