What is a tokamak Upsc?

The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel.

Does India have a tokamak?

India had developed its own tokamak, Aditya, which began operating in 1989 and was able to sustain a plasma temperature for 0.4 seconds. In 2016, the tokamak was upgraded, and it has been in the experimental phase since then.

Is tokamak real?

The first tokamak, T-1, began operation in Russia in 1958. Subsequent advances led to the construction of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Joint European Torus in England, both of which achieved record fusion power in the 1990s.

What is a tokamak ITER?

The magnet system used in the ITER tokamak will be the largest superconducting magnet system ever built. The system will use four types of magnets to achieve plasma confinement: a central solenoid magnet, poloidal magnets, toroidal-field coils, and correction coils.

Where is tokamak used?

tokamak, Device used in nuclear-fusion research for magnetic confinement of plasma. It consists of a complex system of magnetic fields that confine the plasma of reactive charged particles in a hollow, doughnut-shaped container.

What is a tokamak? And is a spherical tokamak different?

How do you make a tokamak?

How to create a tokamak configuration: (a) If the current flows, a magnetic field is generated around the current. (b) Arranging circular coils around the torus and energizing the coil produces a magnetic field in the toroidal direction. (c) Toroidal plasma current produces a magnetic field linking the torus.

Why is it called a tokamak?

The term "tokamak" comes to us from a Russian acronym that stands for "toroidal chamber with magnetic coils" (тороидальная камера с магнитными катушками). To start the process, air and impurities are first evacuated from the vacuum chamber.

How big is a tokamak?

830 cubic metres. The ITER Tokamak will be the largest ever built, with a plasma volume of 830 cubic metres.

Can a tokamak explode?

During operation, the ITER Tokamak chamber will contain only a tiny amount, less than one tenth of a gram, of hydrogen fuel at any given moment. If disruption occurs during a pulse, the reaction cools and ends. "A nuclear explosion in ITER is simply not possible," says Loughlin.

How much does a tokamak cost?

The tokamak fusion reactor with a power level above that of the ITER but with a comparable or less reactor size, and with the COE less than 120 mills/kWh and the capital cost < 6000 M$ seems viable if plasma physics and engineering technology compared to those adapted in the design of the ITER are improved.

How does tokamak not melt?

Fusion powers the sun by forcing hydrogen atoms to combine into helium and releasing enormous amounts of energy. A tokamak uses strong magnetic fields to confine a plasma that is heated above 200 million ℃, maximizing the efficiency of hydrogen isotope fusion.

How many tokamaks are there in the world?

The term tokamak is in fact the acronym of the Russian terms “toroïdalnaïa kameras magnitnymi katushkami”, which can be translated as “toroidal chamber with magnetic coils”.

What is the full form of ITER?

Institute of Technical Education and Research.

Which metal is used in tokamak?

Although solid lithium coatings have been used for wall conditioning in tokamak experiments since the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL),10 and recently in the National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX, also at PPPL),11 it is only with a liquid PFC that the full lithium ...

What fuel does tokamak use?

Once the fusion reaction is established in a tokamak, deuterium and lithium are the external fuels required to sustain it. Both of these fuels are readily available.

What is the largest tokamak in the world?

The ITER Tokamak

The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. ITER will be the world's largest tokamak, with a plasma radius (R) of 6.2 m and a plasma volume of 840 m³.

What is a poloidal field?

The poloidal field is one component of the magnetic field and essential for plasma confinement in a tokamak. It is generated by the plasma current; this is in contrast to the larger toroidal field, which is generated externally.

How do Stellarators work?

A stellarator is a machine that uses magnetic fields to confine plasma in the shape of a donut, called a torus. These magnetic fields allow scientists to control the plasma particles and create the right conditions for fusion reactions.

How is tokamak heated?

Within the tokamak, the changing magnetic fields that are used to control the plasma produce a heating effect. The magnetic fields create a high-intensity electrical current through induction, and as this current travels through the plasma, electrons and ions become energized and collide.

How does a spherical tokamak work?

In a spherical tokamak, the plasma inside sits closer to the centre of the ring than in traditional designs, meaning that it experiences a higher magnetic field. The compactness of spherical tokamaks means they can achieve higher magnetic pressures, which enables them to achieve higher output powers.

How does a spheromak work?

The plasma current in a spheromak is sustained efficiently by the injection of helicity from an external source. Helicity current drive arises when 3-dimensional magnetic and fluid velocity fluctuations generate a “dynamo electric field,” which balances resistive loses.

Is stellarator better than tokamak?

As such, the stellarators often operate at a higher density than tokamaks do. In the LHD, a super-dense core plasma (>1 × 10²¹ m⁻³) has been attained [23. H. Yamada, K.