ITER - core fusion reactor to be build in France

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

This was in the news of yesterday. The ITER Tritium-deuterium core fusion reactor will be build in Cadarache, France. It's been like 10 years of debate before it finally came to this. To be honest i'm very excited about this. Finally the project can get off its feet to design a nuclear reactor that produces no waste what so ever and will produce thousands of megawatts of power. Interesting that in 1998 the USA left the project and in 2003 rejoined again now that things began to brighten up and perhaps pres. Bush isnt that stupid afterall maybe having realised that in 2040 the oil/gas reserves across the globe will be pretty much depleted. Before the decision was made where the corefusion reactor would be build, France and Japan were hotly in debate and even threathened to build one themselves. America backed up Japan, Russia and China backed up Europe (ie France). The first working nuclear reactor will collide tritium and deuterium isotopes of hydrogen to produce helium and a neutron and lots of energy. This will happen in a donut shaped reactor room where the plasma will be kept at millions of degrees centigrade in a magnetic field. The walls of the reactor will only be a few thousands of degrees C. Thanks to the strong magnetic field that is generated, no hot plasma (the same stuff is in the sun) will touch the walls of the reactor. Only in 2040 will the first real reactor produce electricity from nuclear fusion and then commercial reactors will be build accordingly.

At the moment the biggest reactor exists in Britain and is called the Joint European Torus (JET). It's a prototype fusion reactor that producted up to 70% of the power that went in it to make it function. Now lets hope the newly proposed ITER reactor in France will ultimately produce surplus energy :cheerful:

[jkrzok]

Now lets hope the newly proposed ITER reactor in France will ultimately produce surplus energy :cheerful:

And let's hope French wine doesn't start glowing in the dark. :cheeky:

I don't really expect to be here in 2040 (for qmp 35 beta testing!) but it will be nice to know that my offspring won't be cursing the cold and the dark.

As they huddle around bottles of French wine.

[Tokelil]

Yer this is cool stuff! :) Glad to see it's going to be build here in Europe :)

I thought the biggest reactor (which is JET according to you...) was "break even" AKA producing the same amount of power as it uses. Also the article I read said the new reactor is also a research reactor. (First one that produces power though)

[Todd The Kiwi]

i hope they don't do any more tests in mururoa (http://www.abc.net.au/quantum/info/mururoa.htm)
it's bad enough that they blow up (greenpeace) ships in our harbour!

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

i hope they don't do any more tests in mururoa (http://www.abc.net.au/quantum/info/mururoa.htm)
it's bad enough that they blow up (greenpeace) ships in our harbour!

Yeah but those tests are with nuclear fission bombs. Here we are talking about clean nuclear fusion, not for bombs but for generating electricity ;) So it's all right mate :gasmask: :cool:

[Willow of Oz]

Finally the project can get off its feet to design a nuclear reactor that produces no waste what so ever and will produce thousands of megawatts of power.

Tritium.
We have plants already producing easily that much power. Their cleanliness is debatable; new techniques will keep improving that.

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

Tritium.
We have plants already producing easily that much power. Their cleanliness is debatable; new techniques will keep improving that.

The half-life of tritium is only in the order of 10 years. That's nothing compared to the half-life of Uranium and Plutonium. When tritium has been exhausted im sure technology will be up to date to deal with deuterium-deuterium collisions instead to produce energy. Nuclear fusion powerplants are destined to replace fossil fuels. This is what excites me. It's only a matter of time...

[Shadowraven]

I didn't realize that anyone could yet build a practical fusion reactor for generating electricity. Nuclear fusion is a lot cleaner than Nuclear fission. If I remember correctly the fusion process does not produce lasting radiation like fission does, and it's byproducts aren't as toxic.

I don't like fission reactors that well, they're way too dirty. But fusion reactors I could fully support.

[Willow of Oz]

The half-life of tritium is only in the order of 10 years. That's nothing compared to the half-life of Uranium and Plutonium. When tritium has been exhausted im sure technology will be up to date to deal with deuterium-deuterium collisions instead to produce energy. Nuclear fusion powerplants are destined to replace fossil fuels. This is what excites me. It's only a matter of time...

I was only responding to your "no waste whatsoever" :-)

Hmmm,

100 years time. What will we be using for energy? (and no, this is not a comment on running out of resources for any type of nuclear power plant).

This is an open question...

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

I was only responding to your "no waste whatsoever" :-)

Hmmm,

100 years time. What will we be using for energy? (and no, this is not a comment on running out of resources for any type of nuclear power plant).

This is an open question...

Maybe we'll have the Sahara covered in solar panels by then ;)

[Todd The Kiwi]

someone has to invent a fart harness, it's just too funny not to exist man :cheeky:

[acushla]

someone has to invent a fart harness, it's just too funny not to exist man :cheeky:

A few of us were sitting around and somebody asked...'How old is Todd...?'

[madjo]

A few of us were sitting around and somebody asked...'How old is Todd...?'
Todd is just a toddler... sorry I had to make this joke.. couldn't help myself

*your regular programme will resume soon, this bad wolf will go and play with the roses again*

[Todd The Kiwi]

i'm 26

(remember my birthday thread, you said "aye". how thoughtful)
"fart harness" sounds funny to me.
does it mean something else in canada?

[acushla]

i'm 26

(remember my birthday thread, you said "aye". how thoughtful)
"fart harness" sounds funny to me.
does it mean something else in canada?

As we always say in Canada, it's the thought that counts.

'Fart harness' means about the same as it must in enlightened New Zealand.

[acushla]

Todd is just a toddler...

...and already typing like the big people. :silly:

[Shadowraven]

Play nice children or you'll have to leave the playground! ;)

[Willow of Oz]

formal agreements signed, all systems go.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6165932.stm

[WHAT?]

The next terrorist target!:paranoid:

[Willow of Oz]

The next terrorist target!:paranoid:

A suitable avatar, then :pirate:

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

formal agreements signed, all systems go.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6165932.stm

woohoo! Bring on nuclear fusion! I hope this will be something no war should ever be fought over. :grimreape

[squeege2]

The release of energy from a fusion reaction is 10 million times greater than from a typical chemical reaction, such as burning a fossil fuel.
A 1GW fusion power station would burn about 1kg of deuterium and tritium per day, compared with a 1GW coal power station burning 10,000 tonnes per day of coal.

Very cool science. Definately better than what exists now. Economically , by building now, and environmentaly, for future generations.
As off shoot here is somthing that maybe they could look into ,for the helium ,that is produced from ITER.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Helium-Powered-Car?&id=45129

[Protocol]

A few of us were sitting around and somebody asked...'How old is Todd...?'

Todd is just a toddler... sorry I had to make this joke.. couldn't help myself


Someone needs to update Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toddler). :silly:

[Todd The Kiwi]

:P that was out of the blue heh heh

[BALTY]

Someone needs to update Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toddler). :silly:
Yes, outta the blue. But must say though , it rules out Todd... Most children are toilet trained while they are toddlers it says.:cheeky:
Sorry , it's pick on Todd day I guess!
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