What is a tokamak reactor and how does it work?
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What is a tokamak reactor and how does it work?
A tokamak is a machine that confines a plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape that scientists call a torus. In a tokamak, magnetic field coils confine plasma particles to allow the plasma to achieve the conditions necessary for fusion.
How does a tokamak fusion reactor work?
Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel. Just like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant will use this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators.
What is a thermonuclear fusion reactor?
fusion reactor, also called fusion power plant or thermonuclear reactor, a device to produce electrical power from the energy released in a nuclear fusion reaction. Since the 1930s, scientists have known that the Sun and other stars generate their energy by nuclear fusion.
What is tokamak technology?
tokamak, Device used in nuclear-fusion research for magnetic confinement of plasma. It consists of a complex system of magnetic fields that confine the plasma of reactive charged particles in a hollow, doughnut-shaped container.
Where is the tokamak fusion reactor?
Princeton, New Jersey
| Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor | |
|---|---|
| Device type | Tokamak |
| Location | Princeton, New Jersey, US |
| Affiliation | Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory |
| Technical specifications |
Where is the tokamak reactor?
The reaction chamber of the DIII-D, an experimental tokamak fusion reactor operated by General Atomics in San Diego, which has been used in research since it was completed in the late 1980s. The characteristic torus-shaped chamber is clad with graphite to help withstand the extreme heat.
Why is thermonuclear fusion important to life?
Abundant energy: Fusing atoms together in a controlled way releases nearly four million times more energy than a chemical reaction such as the burning of coal, oil or gas and four times as much as nuclear fission reactions (at equal mass). Sustainability: Fusion fuels are widely available and nearly inexhaustible.
What is thermonuclear fusion used for?
Thermonuclear fusion process that converts hydrogen into helium by reactions with carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.
Who invented the Tokamak reactor?
As of 2021, it is the leading candidate for a practical fusion reactor. Tokamaks were initially conceptualized in the 1950s by Soviet physicists Igor Tamm and Andrei Sakharov, inspired by a letter by Oleg Lavrentiev. The first working tokamak was attributed to the work of Natan Yavlinsky on the T-1 in 1958.