July 29 (UPI) Assembly on the worlds largest nuclear fusion project began Tuesday in France as a coalition of 35 countries seeks to replicate the reactions that power the sun to generate clean energy.<\/p>\n
The approximately $23 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, is expected to be assembled by 2025 when it is expected to become the first to achieve a burning of self-heating plasma that can generate 10 times more heat than is originally provided.<\/p>\n
Constructing the machine piece-by-piece will be like assembling a three-dimensional puzzle on an intricate timeline and with the precision of a Swiss watch, ITER director-general Bernard Bigot said.<\/p>\n
Millions of components, including 3,000 tons of superconducting magnets and more than 100 miles of superconducting cables, will be combined to assemble the reactor that will weigh 23,000 tons.<\/p>\n
Nuclear fusion releases significant amounts of energy, while the process does not produce carbon dioxide and, unlike nuclear fission reactors, cannot melt down and produce less radioactive waste.<\/p>\n
Scientists have successfully achieved fusion, but it has only been done for short periods of time and has not produced more energy than needed to make the fusion reaction occur.<\/p>\n
Delivering fusion energy for humanity is far from easy. It requires combining the scientific knowledge of astrophysics with the technical know-how of nuclear power engineering, Michael Mauel, a professor of applied physics at Columbia University, told CBS News.<\/p>\n
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe praised the project as a move toward addressing the climate crisis.<\/p>\n
I believe disruptive innovation will play a key role in addressing global issues, including climate change and realizing a sustainable carbon-free society, said Abe.<\/p>\n
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Assembly begins on worlds largest nuclear fusion reactor - Gephardt Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" July 29 (UPI) Assembly on the worlds largest nuclear fusion project began Tuesday in France as a coalition of 35 countries seeks to replicate the reactions that power the sun to generate clean energy. The approximately $23 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, is expected to be assembled by 2025 when it is expected to become the first to achieve a burning of self-heating plasma that can generate 10 times more heat than is originally provided. Constructing the machine piece-by-piece will be like assembling a three-dimensional puzzle on an intricate timeline and with the precision of a Swiss watch, ITER director-general Bernard Bigot said. Continue reading