{"id":88135,"date":"2026-11-06T19:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T14:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=88135"},"modified":"2026-11-06T19:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T14:07:14","slug":"tokamak-nuclear-fusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/06-11-2026\/tokamak-nuclear-fusion","title":{"rendered":"How Do Tokamaks Work to Make Nuclear Fusion Possible?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Science and Technology\/ Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recent developments in nuclear fusion research have renewed interest in fusion power, particularly in plasma confinement using tokamaks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Tokamak<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A tokamak is a device (experimental fusion reactor)<\/strong> that uses magnetic fields to confine extremely hot plasma within a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) vacuum chamber.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Origin: <\/strong>Developed in the Soviet Union during the early 1950s, primarily by <strong>physicists Igor Tamm and Andrei Sakharov.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Meaning:<\/strong> The word Tokamak is derived from a Russian abbreviation for &#8216;toroidal chamber containing magnetic coils&#8217;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plasma is the fourth state of matter,<\/strong> made up of unbound electrons and positively charged ions. It is prepared by heating a gas to a very high temperature.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Does a Tokamak Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Creation of Superheated Plasma:<\/strong> Hydrogen isotopes, primarily deuterium and tritium, are heated to temperatures of around <strong>150 million \u00b0C.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>At these temperatures, their nuclei can overcome electrostatic repulsion and undergo nuclear fusion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Magnetic Confinement through Magnetic Fields:<\/strong> Since no physical material can withstand the extreme temperatures of plasma, a tokamak uses powerful magnetic fields to keep it away from the reactor walls.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>External magnetic coils generate a magnetic field<\/strong> around the toroidal chamber, while an electric current induced through the plasma by a central solenoid generates a second magnetic field.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The interaction of these magnetic fields<strong> produces helical magnetic field lines <\/strong>that help to <strong>confine the plasma and minimise particle losses.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nuclear Fusion Reaction:<\/strong> Deuterium and tritium nuclei combine to form helium and a high-energy neutron, releasing energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4e6db\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4e6db;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"957\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-36.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-88136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-36.png 957w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-36-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-36-768x479.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 957px) 100vw, 957px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Is Electricity Generated?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Energy release: <\/strong>Approximately 80% of the energy released during deuterium-tritium fusion is carried by neutrons, while <strong>20%<\/strong> is carried by <strong>helium nuclei (alpha particles).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Heat generation:<\/strong> High-energy neutrons strike the surrounding blanket, transferring their energy as heat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tritium breeding:<\/strong> The blanket contains lithium, which reacts with neutrons to produce tritium, helping replenish the reactor&#8217;s fuel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Electricity generation:<\/strong> A coolant transfers the heat to a steam-generation system, which drives turbines to generate electricity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why haven\u2019t tokamaks produced energy so far<\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Extreme temperature requirements:<\/strong> Maintaining plasma at temperatures exceeding <strong>100 million \u00b0C<\/strong> is technically challenging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plasma instability: <\/strong>Plasma can develop instabilities that lead to energy and particle losses, disrupting confinement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Material limitations:<\/strong> Reactor-facing components must withstand intense heat, radiation and neutron bombardment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tritium availability:<\/strong> Tritium is scarce and radioactive, requiring reliable breeding and fuel-handling systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>High costs:<\/strong> Constructing and operating fusion reactors requires advanced materials, superconducting magnets and sophisticated control systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Developments in Tokamak Technology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER):<\/strong> A major international collaboration involving seven members; <strong>China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Located at <strong>Cadarache, France,<\/strong> it aims to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is designed to produce <strong>500 MW of fusion power<\/strong> using 50 MW of external plasma heating power (a fusion energy gain factor, Q, of 10).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under its revised baseline, deuterium-tritium operations are planned for 2039.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>China&#8217;s EAST Tokamak: <\/strong>The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) in China sustained high-confinement plasma for 1,066 seconds in 2025.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, EAST has not achieved net energy production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India&#8217;s Progress in Tokamak Research<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The two main machines are at the <strong>Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in Gandhinagar.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>ADITYA<\/strong>, India\u2019s first tokamak, began operating in <strong>1989 <\/strong>and was rebuilt as <strong>ADITYA-U,<\/strong> which resumed operations in <strong>2017.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SST-1, the Steady State Superconducting Tokamak<\/strong>, produced its first plasma in 2013 and uses superconducting magnets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>PRAGYA: <\/strong>An experimental compact tokamak unveiled by <strong>Bengaluru-based Pranos Fusion<\/strong>, aimed at developing capabilities in plasma control and magnetic confinement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ITER participation: <\/strong>India is a member of ITER and contributes through the development and supply of several specialised reactor components.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Alternatives to Tokamak Technology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Technology<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Key features<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Example<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stellarator<\/td><td>Uses complex external magnetic coils to confine plasma without relying on a large plasma current.<\/td><td>Wendelstein 7-X, Germany<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Inertial Confinement Fusion<\/td><td>Uses powerful lasers or particle beams to compress a small fuel pellet, initiating fusion.<\/td><td>National Ignition Facility, USA<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Magnetic Mirror<\/td><td>Uses magnetic fields to confine plasma, with stronger fields at the ends to reflect charged particles.<\/td><td>Mirror fusion experiments<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tokamak technology represents a major pathway to controlled nuclear fusion.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, achieving stable plasma confinement, sustainable fuel supply and a positive overall energy balance remains essential before fusion can become a commercially viable source of clean energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/how-do-tokamaks-work-to-make-nuclear-fusion-possible\/article71670265.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><br \/>\nContext<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\n<p>Recent developments in nuclear fusion research have renewed interest in fusion power, particularly in plasma confinement using tokamaks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p>About Tokamak<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"\t>\nA tokamak is a device (experimental fusion reactor) that uses magnetic fields to confine extremely hot plasma within a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) vacuum chamber.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\nOrigin: Developed in the Soviet Union during the early 1950s, primarily by physicists Igor Tamm and Andrei Sakharov.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/06-11-2026\/tokamak-nuclear-fusion \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88135"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88138,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88135\/revisions\/88138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}