The physical launch of the T-15MD tokamak took place in Russia - an installation that has no analogues in the world
At the Kurchatov Institute, a real and, most importantly, successful launch of the T-15MD tokamak was carried out, which became the first in the last twenty years in the modern history of the development of thermonuclear installations.
As scientists assume, this installation will carry out experiments within the framework of the project. thermonuclear reactor ITER, as well as experiments aimed at creating a hybrid reactor.
Why are tokamaks needed at all
The main task of such installations is the realization of the old dream of all mankind - the creation of a reliable and controllable reactor, in which thermonuclear fusion will be used, which will generate electricity through the use of the fusion reaction of nuclei of hydrogen isotopes. In particular, deuterium and tritium.
So, according to the idea of the researchers, neutrons with high energy and appearing during the course of the reaction will be directed to the blanket of the reactor, where the process of energy transfer to the coolant will take place or will take part in the production of tritium from lithium.
In addition, if, for example, uranium-238, thorium-232, or minor actinides formed from spent fuel, then a so-called hybrid reactor may well turn out, where the process of nuclear fuel production will take place.
Installations of this kind are very attractive for scientists, for the simple reason that the basic requirements for them are significantly lower than for classical thermonuclear reactors.
What are you T-15MD
In essence, the T-15MD is an experimental hybrid thermonuclear reactor of the tokamak type, which was developed at the Kurchatov Institute on an initial basis in the form of the T-15 installation.
So, according to the plans of scientists, the new installation will be used to conduct a number of experiments within the framework of the international project of the ITER thermonuclear reactor. In addition, the facility will be used as a prototype of a thermonuclear neutron source.
I would like to emphasize that the T-15MD is a thermonuclear reactor not based on superconductors. It uses magnets made of water-cooled, silver-containing copper conductor. At the same time, the design of the T-15MD tokamak itself is close to the spheromak (aspect ratio is 2.2) and the installation will operate in a pulsed mode.
In this case, a thermonuclear reactor will be able to hold plasma with a maximum current of 2 MA for ten seconds, and the magnetic field will be two Tesla.
At its core, the physical launch, which took place on May 18, 2021, implies demonstration of the operability of all tokamak systems and obtaining the so-called low-temperature plasma.
And now scientists will continue to work on the reactor, raising the discharge current, and, consequently, increasing the temperature of the plasma itself. And already direct work with high-temperature plasma will begin no earlier than the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
In fact, the role of launching the T-15MD fusion reactor is difficult to overestimate. Indeed, thanks to his work, technologies will be tested and tested, which will later be used to build a future tokamak with reactor technologies (TRT), which, as conceived by the authors, will become the first real prototype of a thermonuclear reactor and a neutron source for a hybrid reactor. This event became known from the TASS report.
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