After many years of experiments, the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is decommissioning the world’s longest-running fusion tokamak.
The project housing this machine is known as the Joint European Torus (JET). It provided researchers with crucial insights into the long-term functioning of fusion reactors, according to Interesting Engineering.
This could be the key to producing cleaner energy everywhere.
The U.S. Department of Energy says that when two light atoms join to create a heavier atom, they create fusion energy. It’s the same energy process that our sun and other stars use as they burn.
A tokamak is a specific kind of fusion reactor that contains plasma in the shape of a donut. The more technical term for the field’s shape is a ‘torus,’ which is where JET gets its name.
Researchers hope this donut-shaped plasma confinement will create better conditions to make fusion energy and fast-track the industry’s progress.
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According to New Civil Engineer, construction on the tokamak that the UKAEA is decommissioning started in 1978. It achieved first plasma just six years later in 1983.
It was also the first device to use deuterium and tritium (hydrogen atoms with different masses) to make controlled fusion energy.
Interesting Engineering also stated that this tokamak created a record-breaking 69 megajoules in a six-second pulse in October 2023. That’s a little over 19 kilowatt-hours, which can power a small household for a day.
Researchers will study materials from JET’s operations to understand better what happens to reactors after extended use. The decommissioning will happen via remote handling, and the UKAEA will be upgrading that system in the process.
Fusion energy can create a lot of power with just a little bit of fuel. Unlike nuclear fission, which makes energy by splitting atoms, it doesn’t create radioactive waste, making it an even cleaner option.
While fusion energy isn’t completely renewable, researchers are making strides toward making it limitless. Combined with solar and wind power, fusion could be another incredible tool for a transition to cleaner, greener energy.
New Civil Engineer reported that the decommissioning process of JET’s tokamak will last until 2040. In the meantime, a new reactor, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production, is underway. Building will happen in West Burton, Nottinghamshire, England, and it will likely start working in the 2040s.
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