One can buy glass tubes filled with gases, e.g., hydrogen, for electrical discharges, i.e., like fluorescent tubes. One passes a current through the tube at sufficiently high voltage to ionize or excite the gas and obtains an emission spectrum.Warpspeed13 said:Would it be possible to just get a swirling plasma in an acrylic tube kind of like the arc reactor in iron man? I'm not talking about anything close to the temperatures or pressures required for fusion just kind of a demo piece to show the general idea.
Warpspeed13 said:Ya I just wanted to demonstrate how the gasses swirled and the basic concept not generate fusion energy. Also where can you find those laws I tried googling it for a school report a while back and couldn't find anything approaching an official set of rules.
Yes, a tokamak is a type of nuclear fusion reactor that uses magnetic fields to contain and control a plasma of hydrogen isotopes, producing energy through fusion reactions.
A tokamak works by using a combination of strong magnetic fields and high temperatures to create and control a plasma of hydrogen isotopes. The magnetic fields confine the plasma, while the high temperatures (up to 150 million degrees Celsius) are needed to overcome the repulsive forces between the particles and allow fusion reactions to occur.
Tokamaks have several advantages over other types of nuclear reactors. They can use hydrogen isotopes as fuel, which are readily available and produce minimal waste. They also have a high conversion efficiency, meaning they can produce a large amount of energy from a small amount of fuel. Additionally, tokamaks do not produce greenhouse gases or long-lived nuclear waste.
One of the main challenges of building a model tokamak is achieving and maintaining the high temperatures and pressures needed for fusion reactions. This requires advanced materials that can withstand the extreme conditions, as well as precise control systems to maintain stability and prevent disruptions. Additionally, the cost of constructing and operating a tokamak is currently very high.
Tokamak research and development is ongoing, with several large-scale projects currently underway, such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France. These projects aim to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of fusion energy, as well as address technical challenges and improve technologies. However, there is still much research and development needed before a commercially viable tokamak can be built.