Who is building a fusion reactor Bashny.Net

We say that we will put the sun into a box. The idea is pretty. The problem is we do not know how to make the box.

Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
French Nobel laureate





All electronic devices and machines need energy and humanity consumes her very much. But fossil fuels ends and alternative energy that is not effective enough.
There is a way of obtaining energy is ideally suited to all requirements - Fusion. thermonuclear fusion reaction (the conversion of hydrogen into helium and release of energy) constantly occurs in the sun and this process gives the planet the energy in the form of sunlight. It is only necessary to simulate it in the world, on a smaller scale. Enough to provide very high pressure and high temperature (10 times higher than the Sun) and the synthesis reaction is started. In order to create conditions necessary to build a fusion reactor. He will use the more common on the earth resources will be safer and more powerful than conventional nuclear power stations. For more than 40 years of attempts of its construction and experiments are conducted. In recent years, one of the prototypes even managed to get more energy than was used 1. The most ambitious projects in this area are listed below:


Public projects

ITER



The largest project in the field of energy and the biggest in the world of research project - construction of the ITER fusion reactor in France. This experimental reactor for 40 billion. Dollars more will not be a full-fledged power plant, but it will be proof that fusion energy is possible. A coalition of countries, including Russia, and, to complete the construction of the reactor by 2026.
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Wendelstein 7-X



The greatest public attention lately gets another design a fusion reactor - stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (stellarator harder than the internal mechanics of the ITER, which is a tokamak). After spending a little over 1 billion. Dollars, German scientists for the first 9 years, built in 2015 decreased, a demonstration model of the reactor. If he will show good results over a large-scale version will be built.
More MegaJoule Laser



MegaJoule Laser in France will be the most powerful laser in the world and will try to promote a method of building a fusion reactor based on the use of lasers. Entering the French installation into operation is expected in 2018.
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National ignition facility



NIF (National ignition facility) was built in the US for 12 years and $ 4 billion in 2012. They are expected to test the technology and then build the reactor at once, but it turned out that, according to Wikipedia -. Considerable work is required if the system is ever to reach ignition. As a result, ambitious plans were canceled and scientists engaged in a gradual improvement of the laser. The latter problem - to raise the efficiency of energy transfer from 7% to 15%. Otherwise, funding from Congress, this method can achieve the synthesis stops.
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Set in Sarov



At the end of 2015 Sarov began construction of a building for the world's most powerful laser facility. It will be more powerful than the current US and French and will allow future conduct experiments necessary for the construction of "laser" version of the reactor. Completion in 2020.

MagLIF fusion



Located in the USA Laser - MagLIF fusion recognized as the dark horse among the achievements of the fusion methods. Recently etod method showed the results better than expected, but the capacity still needs to be increased by 1000 times. Now the laser is an upgrade, and by 2018, scientists hope to get as much energy, how much to spend. In the case of a larger version of success will be built.
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Institute of Nuclear Physics



The Russian INP persistently carried out experiments on the method of "open traps" abandoned by the United States in the 90s. As a result, performance, was considered impossible for this method were obtained. INP Scientists believe that their installation is now at the German Wendelstein 7-X (Q = 0.1), but cheaper. Now for 3 bln. Rubles, they are building a new plant
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Ignitor



The head of the Kurchatov Institute constantly reminded about the plans to build in Russia a small fusion reactor - Ignitor. According to the plan, it should also be effective as the ITER, and even less. Its construction was supposed to start 3 more years ago, but this situation is typical for major research projects.
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EAST



Chinese tokamak EAST early 2016 managed to get 50 million. Degrees temperature and hold it 102 seconds. Prior to the construction of the huge reactors and lasers all the news about the fusion were so. You would have thought it was just a competition among scientists - who are longer hold more and more heat. The higher the plasma temperature and the longer it manages to keep - so we are closer to the beginning of the synthesis reaction. Such facilities in the world dozens, a few more (1) (2) is constructed so that soon EAST record will be broken. In fact, these small reactors, it is just testing the equipment before being sent to ITER. more

Private projects
Lockheed Martin compact fusion



Lockheed Martin announced in 2015m of a breakthrough in fusion energy, which will enable them to build a small and mobile fusion reactor in 10 years. Given that even very large and not at all mobile commercial reactors is not expected until 2040, a statement was met with skepticism Corporation. But the company has more resources so who knows. A prototype is expected in 2020.
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Helion Energy



Popular in the Silicon Valley startup Helion Energy has a unique plan to achieve nuclear fusion. The Company raised over US $ 10 million and expects to create a prototype for 2019.
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Tri Alpha Energy



Keep a low startup Tri Alpha Energy recently achieved impressive results in the promotion of his method of fusion (theorists was designed & gt; 100 theoretical ways to achieve fusion tokamak is simply the easiest and most popular). The company also raised over $ 100 million of investors' funds.
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General Fusion



reactor project by the Canadian startup General Fusion even more is not like the others, but the developers are confident in it and brought in 10 years more than 100 million. dollars to build a reactor in 2020.
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First light



Start-up of the United Kingdom - First light is the most accessible for the understanding of the site, it was formed in 2014, and has announced plans to use the latest scientific data to less costly produce fusion
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Tokamak Energy <. br>


Another British startup - Tokamak Energy is counting on new technologies in the superconductors that allow, in their words, to achieve fusion in a small reactor and at a lower cost.
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MIT group



Scientists at MIT have written an article describing a compact fusion reactor. They rely on the new technologies that have appeared after the start of construction of the giant tokamak and promise to carry out the project for 10 years. It is not known whether they are given the green light to start construction. Even if approved, an article in the magazine, it is even more than the early stage startup
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Lawrenceville Plasma Physics



Fusion - this is probably the least suitable for the crowdfunding industry. But it was with his help and also with NASA funding, the company Lawrenceville Plasma Physics is going to build a prototype of their reactor. Of all of the projects, this is like most in the fraud, but who knows, maybe something useful they bring to this great work.
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Future plans
DEMO



ITER is only a prototype for the construction of a full installation of DEMO - the first commercial fusion reactor. Its launch is now scheduled for 2044, and it is more optimistic outlook.
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Hybrid Reactor



But there are plans and the next step. Hybrid fusion reactor will produce energy from the decay of an atom, and (as a conventional nuclear power station) and on the synthesis. In such a configuration, power can be 10 times higher, but below the safety. China hopes to build a prototype in 2030, but experts say it is like trying to assemble hybrid cars to the internal combustion engine of the invention.
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Outcome
There is no shortage of willing to bring into the world a new energy source. The greatest chance is at the ITER project, given its scale and funding, but other methods, as well as private projects will not be discounted. Scientists have for decades worked on the launch of the synthesis reaction without much success. But now the project to achieve a fusion reaction is more than ever. Even if every one of them fails, further attempts will be made. It is unlikely that we will rest until light a miniature version of the Sun here on Earth.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/279580/