Having made significant contributions to fulfilling international commitments of "Chinese wisdom", ITER can be regarded as the largest scientific cooperation project in human history
What is the largest scientific collaboration project in human history? In the report of the 2023 Pujiang Innovation Forum held today, Petro Barabasky, Director General of the International Thermonuclear Fusion Experimental Reactor Program, stated that the ITER project is the largest scientific cooperation project in human history, with the participating countries accounting for 50% of the global population. As an unprecedented human technological project globally, collaborative efforts play a crucial role in technological innovation. In the nearly 10 years of development of the ITER program, the contribution of China's wisdom and strength cannot be underestimated.
Petro Barabaski gave a presentation on the conference report. Photo by Lai Xinlin
What is nuclear fusion? Petro Barabasky's image metaphor: Nuclear fusion is a process of releasing enormous energy, similar to the energy generation mechanism inside the sun. Unlike nuclear fission, nuclear fusion requires hydrogen as the fuel and does not involve the use of radioactive materials, making it a potential clean and sustainable source of energy.
How was the largest and most far-reaching "International Big Science" project in the world born today? Experts trace back to history. As early as 1985, leaders of the United States and the former Soviet Union jointly initiated the concept. Later, with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the former Soviet Union, the United States, the European Union, and Japan designed the concept in 1988. After 13 years of investment of about 1.5 billion US dollars, the engineering design foundation was completed in 1998, and the final design report was completed in 2001.
How was the largest and most far-reaching "International Big Science" project in the world born today? Experts trace back to history. As early as 1985, leaders of the United States and the former Soviet Union jointly initiated the concept. Later, with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the former Soviet Union, the United States, the European Union, and Japan designed the concept in 1988. After 13 years of investment of about 1.5 billion US dollars, the engineering design foundation was completed in 1998, and the final design report was completed in 2001.
How to carry out the ITER program specifically? Expert explanation: The ITER device is a superconducting tokamak that can generate large-scale nuclear fusion reactions. The superconducting magnet will generate a strong circumferential magnetic field of 5.3 Tesla and excite a plasma current of 15 megaamperes to constrain the high-temperature deuterium tritium plasma ring at the center; The fusion reaction power can reach 500000 kilowatts, and the plasma duration can reach 400-3000 seconds. Therefore, ITER will be the first time that humans have obtained sustained, high-temperature plasma with a large number of nuclear fusion reactions on Earth, generating controlled fusion energy close to the scale of a power plant.
In 2006, China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the United States, and others officially signed the ITER Agreement and established the ITER International Organization Implementation Plan in 2007. The entire ITER plan is divided into four stages: construction period, operation period, deactivation period, and retirement period. According to the ITER agreement, the period is 35 years, and the total investment exceeds 10 billion euros.
ITER not only reflects the latest achievements in international magnetic confinement fusion energy research, but also integrates some top technologies in related fields around the world today. Petro Barabasky's examples include large-scale superconducting magnet technology, medium energy high current accelerator technology, continuous high-power microwave technology, complex remote control technology, reactor materials, experimental cladding, large-scale low-temperature technology, tritium process, advanced diagnostic technology, large-scale power supply technology, and nuclear fusion safety, all of which are covered.
How to carry out the ITER program specifically? Expert explanation: The ITER device is a superconducting tokamak that can generate large-scale nuclear fusion reactions. The superconducting magnet will generate a strong circumferential magnetic field of 5.3 Tesla and excite a plasma current of 15 megaamperes to constrain the high-temperature deuterium tritium plasma ring at the center; The fusion reaction power can reach 500000 kilowatts, and the plasma duration can reach 400-3000 seconds. Therefore, ITER will be the first time that humans have obtained sustained, high-temperature plasma with a large number of nuclear fusion reactions on Earth, generating controlled fusion energy close to the scale of a power plant.
It is reported that China approved the establishment of the "ITER Program Special Project" in 2007 and completed the legal approval process for the agreement. In October 2008, the Nuclear Fusion Center was officially established as the domestic executing agency of the ITER program in China. For more than 10 years, China has conscientiously fulfilled international commitments and carried out high-quality design and manufacturing tasks for 18 key components and systems of ITER, including superconducting magnets, power supplies, cladding, and diagnostics. It has successfully bid to undertake major projects for ITER host installation and continues to contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the smooth implementation of the ITER plan. As of June this year, there were approximately 220 Chinese personnel working at the headquarters of ITER organization in France, accounting for 8.7% of formal employees.
Industry experts believe that the construction, operation, and experimental research of ITER are necessary steps for human development of fusion energy, and will directly affect and determine the design and construction of fusion demonstration power plants, promoting the process of achieving commercial fusion power generation.
