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Page added on October 20, 2015
Nuclear fusion reactor is now under construction in France
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is a massive fusion reactor being built by 35 countries in southern France. Much like CERN, in that it is falling under the “order” of global rule and accomplishment, it is not just one country that will be taking the credit for any discoveries in nuclear fusion.
The size and scope of ITER is not the only similarity to CERN.
ITER is also constructing a nuetral beam test [NBFT] facility in Padova Itlay, and is Unique in being the only main ITER plant not based in Cadarache France.
The scope of the project is challenging: “providing a true reliable neutral beam injector for ITER, able to achieve full performance, giving confidence in terms of fatigue life predictions and identification of potential failures to avoid lost operation time in ITER” says Prof. Piergiorgio Sonato, from Consorzio RFX, while looking at the four Deputy Project Leaders to gain their agreement.
After contruction, the site will host two independent experiments, according to Proffessor Piergiorgio Sonato: SPIDER, the negative ion source prototype, and MITICA, the neutral beam injector system. To achieve fusion, you have to bottle up that super-hot plasma so it’s really dense. Then you have to keep it dense, hot and contained long enough to get it to fuse.
Imagine a beam of neutral atoms accelerated at high speed and fired into the plasma; the atoms will collide with the plasma particles and transfer some of their energy, thus heating the plasma. To develop and test the source of these high-speed atoms and the injection system for ITER, two experiments are being constructed within the Neutral Beam Test Facility.
To be affordable, they will have to create more energy than the original energy used to heat the fuel and even though they readily admit they haven’t been able to figure that part out, leading researchers for the ITER project in Cadarache, France, in partnership with the NBFT facility in Padova, Italy, say the plan is to do just that.
According to this official ITER graphic, a plan to be producing plasma by 2020 will have ITER fully functional by 2027
This project will not be cheap for US Tax payers as design changes and construction delays have already resulted in rising costs. One estimate says the project will cost $21 billion by the time it’s expected to be finished around 2020 with a U.S. contribution of $3.9 billion.
16 Comments on "Nuclear fusion reactor is now under construction in France"
BillC on Tue, 20th Oct 2015 9:20 pm
Our way of life may depend on the outcome of this project.
Right now our future ain’t looking rosy.
“To be affordable, they will have to create more energy than the original energy used to heat the fuel and even though they readily admit they haven’t been able to figure that part out”
apneaman on Tue, 20th Oct 2015 9:41 pm
Hey, BillC. There’s your record.
2015 Sets a New Record for Category 4 and 5 Hurricanes and Typhoons
http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/record-most-category-4-or-5-hurricanes-typhoons
tahoe1780 on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 12:26 am
Fossil Fuels can be lit by a match. Just sayin’
GregT on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 2:11 am
“Imagine a beam of neutral atoms accelerated at high speed and fired into the plasma; the atoms will collide with the plasma particles and transfer some of their energy, thus heating the plasma.”
Sounds perfectly normal. What could possibly go wrong?
GregT on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 2:16 am
BillyC said:
“Our way of life may depend on the outcome of this project.”
Our current way of life requires the destruction of the Earth’s natural ecosystems. Life itself depends on us stopping this idiocy.
“Right now our future ain’t looking rosy.”
And the further down this path we go, the less rosy our future will be.
meld on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 5:13 am
@BillyC
You’re damn right the future depends on the outcome of this project. If it’s successful (which it wont be) Then everything that is going wrong with society right now will be magnified 1000 fold and probably lead to human and global extinction.
Go Speed Racer on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 5:43 am
When the funding runs out, lots of homeless people can sleep in the ruins.
Davy on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 7:49 am
We know fusion will never scale. We can’t even scale renewables now. You would think something as easy to produce and put up as renewables would scale. We are still at single digits penetration in global energy production with renewables after 15 years of significant effort. How is something as technically difficult and expensive as fusion going to scale? This is more cornucopian delusional fantasy.
BobInget on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 12:18 pm
This farm, on cool, clear October days our shared with humanity, fusion reactor, generates about 8,400 KW per hour with zero fuel or human labor input.
If we had funds and buyers we could generate ten times that on our suitable acreage.
Who says alternative energies ain’t scaleable? Day is.
Only suitable, lower cost storage holds us back. PV’s are already competitive with underpriced natural gas.
Davy on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 12:43 pm
Bob, ok, why are we using any fossil fuels now if renewables scale? Do you really think society has the resources to scale up renewables and in time to mitigate peak oil and climate change? That’s my point Bob. We know the details of renewables in relation to fossil fuels. What our problem is has to do with a social narrative of the time and resources needed to make a theory into reality.
BobInget on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 1:12 pm
A tiny matter of ‘storage’ Davy.
Once we clime that hill as I’m sure we will,
we begin tapering off fossil fuels.
One popular solution is solar generation of hydrogen, used in fuel cells to store electric power. WE always hear, “Hydrogen is a battery” If so, let’s take it onboard our electric cars.
http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=hydrogen%20powered%20generator&es_th=1
PV’s today generate almost double the electricity they did 30 years ago but for half the cost. The next 30 are going to change the way we make and store power.
GregT on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 1:23 pm
“The next 30 are going to change the way we make and store power.”
Still no consideration given as to what we plan on using all of that power for. More of the same that got us into this predicament in the first place? Makes perfect sense.
Davy on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 1:43 pm
Bob, I want it to happen. Yet, I can’t believe in future projections of something that is not actually nearing production. I see no evidence of any kind of breakthrough with storage. Hydrogen is a dead end except in niche applications.
ghung on Wed, 21st Oct 2015 1:54 pm
Bob said; “PV’s today generate almost double the electricity they did 30 years ago but for half the cost.”
For reference:
Our second purchased PV array is rated at 13% cell efficiency and cost $4.40/watt in 2002 (discounted ‘B-grade’ modules; slightly damaged frames). The most recently installed modules are rated at 15% cell efficiency and cost us $0.64/watt in 2013 (Grade A modules with all listings – UL,CE,etc.)
Storage? Our current battery set cost $5600 in 2007 and has 52kWH of storage; still going strong. We budget $600/year for battery replacement. Battery prices haven’t changed much in the last 8 years. Indeed, good deep cycle battery costs have dropped a bit since 2007. Balance-of-system costs have held steady or dropped (excluding wiring) while the equipment has become much better, more efficient, and is easier to install. Most BOS systems also now have built-in metering/monitoring systems allowing for better management.
IMO, the problem with PV isn’t the technology, or even the cost. It’s the shear inertia and current investment in outdated 20th century technology. Actually, burning stuff to produce electricity is 19th century technology that became entrenched in our cultural models; not very clever, that. I see all of you who still depend on this crap as dinosaurs. We now have over 60 PV panels performing various functions, some in constant service now for 21 years,, and NOT ONE SINGLE FAILURE. None. If our batteries need replacing every 8-10 years, we can certainly live with that.
I asked a local conservative blowhard the other day; “You mean you still pay for electricty?! Have a bill every month? And you call people like me stupid?!” His new house has two 300 amp panels. It faces south and has hundreds of square meters of roof space at the perfect pitch for solar in our area. Dumb fucking grid-weenies.
BillC on Thu, 22nd Oct 2015 11:22 pm
Wow Apneaman thanks for that fact filled article by Chris Dolce which proves that climate change is real.
GregT on Thu, 22nd Oct 2015 11:54 pm
Apnea posted the above link so that people all around the world reading these forums, can see how full of shit you are BillC.
No need to prove whether or not climate change is real. The debate has been over for a long time now. 98% consensus among climate scientists around the world should be good enough for anyone with an IQ over about 50.