World’s Largest Fusion Project Reaches Milestone With India’s Help

Syllabus :GS 3/Science and Tech 

In News

• Scientists have completed the main magnet system for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), with India playing a significant role in building critical infrastructure.

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor(ITER)

• The International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Project is currently under construction in a 180-hectare site in Southern France. 
• Over 30 countries, including India, China, the US, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and the EU are collaborating to build the world’s largest tokamak, a magnetic fusion device to prove the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy.

Objectives 

• It aims to demonstrate fusion energy  as a safe and carbon-free power source.
  • Unlike fission, fusion does not produce radioactive waste.
• It will produce 500 megawatts of energy from 50 megawatts of input, creating a self-sustaining plasma state known as “burning plasma”, crucial for unlocking fusion energy.
  • ITER will not produce electricity but will serve as a large research facility to test fusion at scale, generating data for future commercial fusion plants.

Cost Sharing

• Europe is bearing 45 per cent of the construction cost.
  • The other six members — India, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US — are each contributing about 9 per cent. But all members will get full access to the research results and patents.

Contributions by Countries

• US  Built the Central Solenoid, the core component of the magnet system.
• Russia provided the Poloidal Field magnet.
• Europe designed four large Poloidal Field magnets.
• China contributed Poloidal Field magnets and superconducting Correction Coil magnets.
• Japan produced 43 kilometers of Nb3Sn superconductor strand.
• Korea created tooling for pre-assembling large components.

India’s Role 

• India is one of the seven main members of ITER and has contributed to key infrastructure, including the cryostat cooling systems, heating technologies, and the cryolines that cool the magnets.
  • India designed the cryostat, a 30-meter tall chamber housing the ITER Tokamak, and built systems to cool the magnets to superconducting temperatures of -269°C. 
• India also delivered shielding, cooling water systems, and heating components.

Progress

• ITER completed its powerful pulsed superconducting electromagnet system, a crucial part of the Tokamak, which will weigh nearly 3,000 tonnes.
  •  The system will help create a plasma by ionizing hydrogen fuel (deuterium and tritium), which will then be heated to 150 million degrees Celsius to facilitate nuclear fusion, similar to the Sun’s process.

Future Outlook 

• ITER’s progress reflects international cooperation and hope for a sustainable, peaceful energy future.
• ITER is expected to begin scientific operations in 2034, with Deuterium-Tritium operations starting in 2039.
  • If successful, fusion could provide nearly limitless, clean energy without radioactive waste or carbon emissions, addressing global energy challenges.

Source :TH