The idea is to replicate the energy of the Sun

While in Spain we debate the closure of nuclear plants, other countries continue with an international cooperation project to get a clean energy sourcepractically inexhaustible and capable of supplying the planet for centuries.

This project has the name ITER. This is the attempted construction of an experimental nuclear fusion reactor and has just entered the most critical point in its development.

Led by the European Union, its development began at the beginning of the 21st century, and now it reaches its climax: the assembly of its core in Cadarche, south of France. This advance brings humanity closer to one of its greatest challenges: replicating the energy of the Sun itself on Earth.

The nuclear reactor that may become humanity’s most important invention

The project is considered by numerous specialists to be the most important in modern history in terms of energy, since seeks to demonstrate that nuclear fusion can generate abundant electricitystable and without massive carbon emissions.

Now a key step is taken: the final assembly phase of the core of the ITER fusion reactor in Carache (France).

For this reason, the Westinghouse Electric Company has begun the installation of the main components of the combustion chamber, a gigantic system designed to contain plasma at extreme temperatures.

This chamber is made up of nine large steel sections, contracted for approximately $168 millionwhich together will form a structure capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 150 million degrees Celsius, even higher than those of the core of the Sun.

The weight of the set exceeds 400 tons, making the ITER core one of the most complex and heaviest scientific structures ever built.

Each piece must fit together with extreme precision, since a slight error in welding or alignment could affect the operation of the entire system.

The objective of the assembly is to create a chamber where the plasma is confined by intense magnetic fields, without touching the physical walls of the reactor. In this way, An attempt is made to recreate on Earth the same fusion process that occurs naturally on the Sun.

Why nuclear fusion can change the history of energy

Nuclear fusion has been considered the so-called dream energy for decades due to its enormous advantages over current sources.

Unlike nuclear fission, used in traditional power plants, fusion does not generate long-lived radioactive wastedoes not involve the risk of uncontrollable chain reactions and uses light elements such as hydrogen.

However, The great challenge has always been the engineering necessary to control a plasma at such extreme temperatures.. Inside ITER, values ​​close to 150 million degrees Celsius will be reached, which will generate enormous thermal and magnetic stresses on the structure.

To guarantee the stability of this plasma, the reactor has a complex network of monitoring and control systems. For example, superconducting magnets, thermal sensors, containment systems and permanent monitoring devices.

The objective of the entire million-dollar network is to make it work synchronously to keep the plasma within its magnetic cage without compromising the security of the installation.