CREATING A SUN ON EARTH
(FUSION REACTOR): is the ultimate solution for meeting our increasing demand of ENERGY
Energy is vital
Modern society depends on access to a ready supply of energy. Energy is used everywhere: for transport, eating, lighting, and in industry and agriculture. At the moment, most of this energy is produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, some comes from nuclear fission, and a small amount is produced by renewable sources, mostly hydroelectric and biomass.
Energy demand is increasing
Even with considerable efforts on energy saving, world energy demand may double over the next 50 years. This is because per capita consumption is increasing and the world’s population is expected to grow from 6 billion today to almost 10 billion in 2050.
Protecting the environment
The burning of fossil fuels generates carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas which traps solar radiation. There are growing concerns about the resulting global warming and other damaging effects on the environment. Action is needed now to ensure a mix of long-term, secure and sustainable energy supplies, able to reduce the environmental impact and satisfy growing energy demand.
Fusion: an option for safe and sustainable energy supply
Fusion is the process which powers the sun and the stars. It is energy that makes all life on earth possible. It is called 'fusion' because the energy is produced by fusing together light atoms, such as hydrogen, at the extremely high pressures and temperatures which exist at the centre of the sun (15 million ºC). At the high temperatures experienced in the sun any gas becomes plasma, the fourth state of matter (solid, liquid and gas being the other three).
Fusion offers the possibility of an emission-free and reliable long-term energy supply with some important
advantages:• Fusion power stations can be made inherently safe – ‘runaway’ or ‘meltdown’ accidents are impossible;
• The fuels are abundant everywhere for large-scale production;
• Day-to-day operation of a fusion power station does not require the transport of radioactive materials;
• There are no greenhouse gas emissions; and
• With a suitable choice of materials, waste will not be a long-term burden on future generations.
How fusion works
Atoms of light elements, such as hydrogen, collide and fuse together at the extremely high pressures and temperatures which exist at the centre of the sun (about 15 million degrees Celsius). This process releases a large amount of energy but at a rather slow rate. To increase this rate on Earth, scientists have succeeded in producing gas with temperatures ten times higher in fusion devices. Megawatts of power have been produced for a few seconds. In Europe, this has been achieved in the Joint European Torus (JET), the world's largest fusion device which currently holds the world record for fusion power.
Fusion Projects
European Union, Japan, USA, Former USSR, China, South Korea, and India are looking forward to construct a large experimental facility, called ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, will be constructed by 2016). This will build on the success on medium-sized devices in laboratories. ITER will be the path to safe and sustainable fusion power. It will generate 500MW of power for periods of initially up to ten minutes, and should be able to sustain steady-state operation. It will thus demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power in a device of power station dimensions.
Photograph of Two Fusion Pioneers
