All thanks to strength! The world's largest "artificial sun" ITER main engine installation, China once again undertakes!

On February 29, 2024, local time, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world's largest "artificial sun", and the Sino-French consortium led by CNNC Engineering formally signed a vacuum chamber module assembly contract. This is the second time that China has undertaken the installation of its core equipment after successfully installing its heart equipment. The Chinese will once again contribute their wisdom and strength to the smooth progress of the ITER project.

It is understood that the assembly of vacuum chamber modules is the most important equipment in the ITER project, and plays a vital role in the success of the entire ITER project. The outer shape of the vacuum chamber is like a donut, but due to its huge size, the entire vacuum chamber is divided into 9 vacuum chamber modules for easy installation. However, the vacuum chamber module itself is also a three-layer sandwich structure, which includes a 40-degree vacuum chamber sector, a vacuum chamber cold shield, and a toroidal field coil from the inside to the outside.

This is a photo of the tokamak device being installed at the construction site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Saint-Paul-les-Durance, France, taken on November 23.

Image source: Xinhuanet (Photo by Liang Xizhi)

“Artificial sun”, where is the sun made?

With the global population growth and economic development, energy demand will continue to grow. However, the earth's fossil fuel reserves are limited, and finding future energy has become a top priority. From this perspective, controlled nuclear fusion is currently recognized by humans and is one of the important ways to ultimately solve the energy and environmental problems of human society and promote the sustainable development of human society.

The main fuel for nuclear fusion is deuterium and tritium existing in seawater. The fusion energy produced by deuterium extracted from one liter of seawater is equivalent to 300 liters of gasoline. Fusion products are not radioactive, and because the conditions required for fusion reactions are relatively high, once an accident occurs, the plasma confinement that causes the reaction will break and the fusion reaction will be terminated. Therefore, the storage and transportation of fusion fuel and the operation of fusion power stations are relatively safe.

Based on this, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project came into being in 2006. It was jointly built by China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. It is known as the world's largest "artificial sun" and is also seen as the ultimate energy dream that illuminates the future of mankind.

The ITER tokamak weighs 23,000 tons, equivalent to three and a half Eiffel Towers, and contains nearly one million components. Once completed, the world's largest and most complex "artificial sun" will have a fusion power of 500,000 kilowatts, which will be an important step in exploring the feasibility of nuclear fusion in science and engineering technology.

Why is mankind committed to promoting the "artificial sun" project?

The "artificial sun" is designed to simulate the nuclear fusion process of the sun. By building a device in the laboratory, it simulates the conditions for plasma to produce fusion and continuously releases fusion energy. Since the raw materials for nuclear fusion are extremely abundant on the earth and the emissions are pollution-free, if a "sun" can be built to generate electricity, humans can hope to achieve energy freedom.

The picture shows an oversized pea-shaped metal device hanging on a high hanger in the pre-assembly hall of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Saint-Paul-le-Durance, France on November 23, 2023, and technicians in the bucket are inspecting it.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Gao Jing)

Since joining the ITER project, China has actively participated in the construction and undertaken the R&D and manufacturing (procurement package) tasks of many core components. "At present, the ITER procurement package undertaken by China is at the forefront of the seven parties in terms of R&D progress and completion quality, contributing Chinese strength and wisdom to the construction of ITER. China has a greater voice on the international fusion stage.

ITER was originally scheduled to officially start plasma experiments in 2025 and further start full deuterium-tritium fusion experiments in 2035. It is understood that the assembly of the vacuum chamber module that won the bid this time is like putting on clothes. The vacuum chamber cold shield and toroidal field coils are integrated and assembled on the vacuum chamber sectors in the assembly hall, and then hoisted as a whole into the tokamak reactor pit. The vacuum chamber module has 9 sectors, which are completed and delivered separately. The total planned installation period of the 9 sectors is 35 months.

In April this year, China's self-developed tokamak device "Eastern Super Ring" made a major breakthrough, operating at an ultra-high temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for nearly 10 seconds. Luce, the scientific and operational director of the ITER project, said that China's self-developed nuclear fusion device has important reference significance and will help the project staff to better understand and operate related equipment.

Let us look forward to China’s power blooming in the world!

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, Science and Technology Daily, Economic Information Daily, etc.