What is a tokamak device?

What is a tokamak device?

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.

What is tokamak in plasma physics?

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 are tokamaks made of?

The most commonly used fuel sources are deuterium and tritium, which are isotopes of hydrogen with one and two extra neutrons, respectively. Combining these two nuclei at very high temperatures and pressures produces a neutron, a helium nucleus, and a lot energy that heats the surrounding plasma.

How does a tokamak generate electricity?

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.

What does tokamak mean in English?

: a toroidal device for producing controlled nuclear fusion that involves the confining and heating of a gaseous plasma by means of an electric current and magnetic field.

What is a fusion reactor called?

Fusion reactor, also called fusion power plant or thermonuclear reactor, a device to produce electrical power from the energy released in a nuclear fusion reaction. The use of nuclear fusion reactions for electricity generation remains theoretical.

What does tokamak mean in Russian?

The word tokamak is a transliteration of the Russian word токамак, an acronym of either “тороидальная камера с магнитными катушками” —toroidal chamber with magnetic coils, or “тороидальная камера с аксиальным магнитным полем” —toroidal chamber with axial magnetic field.

What is meant by toroid?

1 : a surface generated by a closed plane curve rotated about a line that lies in the same plane as the curve but does not intersect it. 2 : a body whose surface has the form of a toroid.

What was the fuel mix for the tokamak reactor?

Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor. It was the world’s first magnetic fusion device to perform extensive scientific experiments with plasmas composed of 50/50 deuterium/tritium (D-T), the fuel mix required for practical fusion power production, and also the first to produce more than 10 MW of fusion power.

Where is the tokamak fusion reactor in Switzerland?

The reaction chamber of the TCV, an experimental tokamak fusion reactor at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland which has been used in research since it was completed in 1992.

What kind of structure is the ITER tokamak?

The seven-storey structure will house not only the ITER Tokamak, but also more than 30 different plant systems that are necessary for the machine’s operation. The Tokamak Complex is a nuclear-rated structure of reinforced concrete, supported on aseismic isolators.

When did they start experimenting with the tokamak?

Experiments on the Symmetrical Tokamak began in May 1970, and by early the next year they had confirmed the Soviet results. The stellarator was abandoned, and PPPL turned its considerable expertise to the problem of heating the plasma.