How does the tokamak work?
A tokamak is a machine that confines a plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape that scientists call a torus. In a tokamak, magnetic field coils confine plasma particles to allow the plasma to achieve the conditions necessary for fusion.
What does a tokamak use for fuel?
deuterium
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.
How is plasma created in a tokamak?
The heart of a tokamak is its doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber. Inside the chamber, gaseous hydrogen fuel is placed under extreme heat and pressure, turning into a plasma—a hot, electrically charged gas. The charged particles of the plasma can be controlled by massive magnetic coils placed around the chamber.
How does tokamak not melt?
Their new analysis provides hope that this method can radiate 90% of the thermal energy as light—instead of wall-melting heat—in current and future tokamaks. A tokamak uses strong magnetic fields to confine a plasma that is heated above 200 million ℃, maximizing the efficiency of hydrogen isotope fusion.
Where is the tokamak?
Others:
| Small-scale model of ITER | |
| Device type | Tokamak |
| Location | Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, France |
| Technical specifications | |
|---|---|
| Major radius | 6.2 m (20 ft) |
Where is tritium found?
Tritium is a naturally occurring radioactive form of hydrogen that is produced in the atmosphere when cosmic rays collide with air molecules. As a result, tritium is found in very small or trace amounts in groundwater throughout the world. It is also a byproduct of the production of electricity by nuclear power plants.
Who created tokamak?
Andrei Sakharov
Igor TammLev ArtsimovichNatan Yavlinsky
Tokamak/Inventors
How is the energy produced in a tokamak used?
Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel. Just like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant will use this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators. (Scroll down for more about the tokamak.)
Which is the best description of a tokamak?
A tokamak is a machine that confines a plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape that scientists call a torus. Fusion energy scientists believe that tokamaks are the leading plasma confinement concept for future fusion power plants.
How are magnetic coils used in a tokamak?
In a tokamak, magnetic field coils confine plasma particles to allow the plasma to achieve the conditions necessary for fusion. One set of magnetic coils generates an intense “toroidal” field, directed the long way around the torus.
How is plasma compression achieved in a tokamak?
In a tokamak, this compression is achieved simply by moving the plasma into a region of higher magnetic field (i.e., radially inward). Since plasma compression brings the ions closer together, the process has the additional benefit of facilitating attainment of the required density for a fusion reactor.