A magnet so powerful it could lift an aircraft carrier!

Humanity is searching for an inexhaustible and non-polluting source of energy: the answer lies in nuclear fusion, an activity that takes place in the heart of stars like the Sun.

This is the objective of the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project, and to this end, the use of a giant magnet, a superconducting solenoid capable of lifting an aircraft carrier.

Nuclear fusion is a process in which two light atomic nuclei (like hydrogen) fuse to form a heavier nucleus, releasing an enormous amount of energy. This is the process that occurs in the heart of stars.

Reproducing this process on Earth requires extreme temperatures and pressures.

In particular, it is necessary to confine the plasma (an ionized gas at temperatures of millions of degrees) using extremely powerful magnets or magnetic fields.

ITER is an international project involving 35 countries, including the European Union, Russia, China, the USA, India, and Japan. Its short-term objective is to demonstrate that nuclear fusion can be used as a viable energy source.

Theoretically, the device should produce 500 megawatts of energy with only 50 megawatts of energy injected into the reactor.

ITER is shaped like a donut, or "tokamak," and is capable of controlling a plasma temperature of over 150 million degrees Celsius. The technological feat lies in its central solenoid, which creates extremely powerful magnetic fields.

It should be noted that the central solenoid is part of an array of superconducting magnets composed of six other poloidal field magnets; the entire assembly weighs over 3,000 tons. These components are cooled to near absolute zero to enable their superconducting operation.

Now that the magnet is in place, the next step is to test the entire magnetic confinement system and verify that the magnet is functioning as intended.

Then, the ITER reactor should operate in stages, gradually increasing the reactor's power and operating time.

The main objective is to achieve a net energy return: that is, to ensure that the energy produced by fusion exceeds the energy consumed to sustain the reaction.

Source : sciencepost.fr