Thursday, March 11, 2010

Making a mini sun on earth


Preparations are underway in the south of France for one of the most exciting experiments ever under taken in human history by man. Known as "International thermonuclear Experimental reactor" (ITER), it aims to reproduce the way sun and stars produce heat and light by nuclear fusion, i-e, lighter elements fusion together to give heavier elements with the production of huge amounts of energy. Our planet has been warmed by the sun due to fusion reaction of billions of years, and the stars also produce their heat and light through such fusion reaction. the project is expected to cost about Euros 10 billion and take 50 years to complete.
the fusion of two isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) can occur with the formation of the heavier elements, helium and the production of huge amount of heat energy. the heat produce is expected to be 5 or 10 times greater than the heat energy required for the fusion reaction to take place. To achieve fusion, phenomenally high temperature of about 100 millions K must be achieved. This will require special vessels in which the fusion plasma will be magnetically suspended in the centre to prevent the metal of vessel evaporating due to huge temperature.
By the end of the century our cities may well be powered by fusion rectors, with sea water being used as the source of deuterium for the fusion reactions, man made mini suns on earth.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

SandustanBrasov
My brthren you have capacity of to construct the thermonuclear controlled reactor, only that, you must needs let construct something functional. The tokamak were invented in 1950 by physicists Igor Tamm and Andrei Sakharov inspired by idea to Oleg Lavrentyev, when he studyed the realization of the hydrogen bomb, which has not need of magnetic trap, and thus all the experiments were finished with the destruction to the tokamak installations in the central zone.