What is the status of the ITER fusion power project?
The reactor was expected to take 10 years to build and ITER had planned to test its first plasma in 2020 and achieve full fusion by 2023, however the schedule is now to test first plasma in 2025 and full fusion in 2035.
Can fusion reactors explode?
A fusion reactor will not explode, it uses plasma to generate heat and so can’t explode. If a hole was cut in the reactor during an ongoing confinement, the plasma would quickly cool off.
Will ITER be successful?
When completed, ITER will theoretically produce 10 times as much energy as it needs to run. It will be a “massive, safe, clean, and predictable energy source for hundreds of thousands of years,” said Bigot. “If we succeed – and we will – the breakthrough will be so large.”
What is a commercial fusion power plant?
A commercial fusion plant will be designed with a slightly larger plasma chamber, for 10 to 15 times more electrical power. A 2,000 megawatt fusion power plant, for example, would supply electricity for 2 million homes.
How much power will the ITER power plant produce?
The plant at ITER will produce about 500 megawatts of thermal power. If operated continuously and connected to the electric grid, that would translate to about 200 megawatts of electric power, enough for about 200,000 homes. A commercial fusion plant will be designed with a slightly larger plasma chamber, for 10 to 15 times more electrical power.
Is ITER the game-changing fusion power experiment?
“After decades of research effort, there is good cause for optimism. ITER will be the ‘game-changing’ experiment because it is built large enough to release fusion power at the scale of a power plant — and be the first experiment to release more fusion power than injected.”
How many homes can a fusion power plant power?
A commercial fusion plant will be designed with a slightly larger plasma chamber, for 10 to 15 times more electrical power. A 2,000 megawatt fusion power plant, for example, would supply electricity for 2 million homes. Would fusion make a difference in the amount of CO2 going into the atmosphere?