The world’s largest thermonuclear reactor was launched. What can we expect from him?

It was officially launched yesterday, and not only the Japanese participated in the project, but the European Union also provided support in implementing the entire project. Of course, the matter was not limited to the goodwill of politicians from the Old Continent only. In retaliation, Japanese engineers They are supposed to test techniques and exchange data that will later be used in the construction of ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.

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The latter has already been built in France and is scheduled for launch in a few years. If this happens, the JT-60SA will lose its title as record holder. However, few people will be sad about this, because the most important thing is the progress made in developing technologies that allow the production of huge amounts of energy at low cost. Thermonuclear fusion is certainly one of them.

Of course, we still have a long way to go before we, as humanity, can produce enough energy using this phenomenon to meet the needs of the entire world. A major recent success has been the achievement of a positive net energy equilibrium, that is, the state in which a thermonuclear reaction provides more energy than is required to initiate and maintain fusion.

The Japanese JT-60SA fusion reactor is expected to provide key information that will enable the development of another project called ITER which is being developed in Europe.

In the case of the so-called inertial specific synthesis manages to achieve such a positive balance, although it is still far from ensuring economic viability. In this case, the plasma must be controlled by a strong magnetic field and maintained at a temperature of 200 million degrees Celsius. At the same time, a current of one million amps passes through it.

The ITER reactor, being built in the country on the Seine River, will be larger and will allow for plasma combustion first and then full fusion. The plan assumes achieving this goal by 2035. In the meantime, scientists will collect and analyze data related to the operation of the JT-60SA. During the October tests, it was possible to achieve plasma flow, although of course the current flowing through it was less than the target density. However, we can expect that after the official start on December 1, the situation will develop in the right direction.

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JT-60SA is key to the international fusion roadmap because it provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn and operate this unique fusion device and share this valuable knowledge with ITER.
Summarized Marc Lachaise, Director of Fusion Energy