Understanding Fusion Power: Deuterium & Tritium in Magnetic Confinement

In summary, the process of creating fusion power involves ionizing deuterium and tritium to form a plasma, which is then confined by a magnetic field. Additional fuel can be added through frozen pellets injected into the plasma. The amount of fuel needed depends on the desired output power of the fusion plant.
  • #1
ozgurakkas
15
0
I have been researching about fusion power to understand how it operates during thermonuclear reactions. I do not understand how and how much deuterium and tritium are placed into the magnetic confinement (tokomak). I appreciate it, if anyone guides me about this.

Thank you
 
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  • #2
ozgurakkas said:
I have been researching about fusion power to understand how it operates during thermonuclear reactions. I do not understand how and how much deuterium and tritium are placed into the magnetic confinement (tokomak). I appreciate it, if anyone guides me about this.

Thank you
The deuterium and tritium are ionized to form a plasma, and the plasma (ions and electrons) are confined by the magnetic field. The plasma excludes the magnetic field, and the ions and electrons rotate or more accurately, spiral along the magnetic field lines. The stronger the magnetic field (greater line density), the small the gyroradius of the ions and electrons. Within the plasma, where the magnetic field is low or virtually non-existent, the ions and electrons would have very large gyroradii, but they also scatter off each other.

Basically in a torus, one starts with a neutral gas which is heated rapidly with a toroidal current (ohmic heating). That current is also subjected to an azimuthal magnetic field (caused by the toroidal current) which pushes inward on the current and then plasma, which forms as the neutral gas is heated by the current. Toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields are also applied for additional confinement and stability.
 
  • #3
Additional fuel is proposed to be added in a reactor set up with fuel pellet injection. Frozen deuterium and tritium in small pellets are shot into the plasma through the magnetic field. Compared to what you experience daily, a plasma is not that dense, so there's actually much less fuel than what I expected. Exactly how much depends on the volume of confinement.
 
  • #4
Hi there,

In the idea of fusion power, the amount of combustible needed will depend mainly on your expected output power. If you want to have a small experimental fusion plant compared to a few 1000MWe, will vary the amount of fuel needed.

Cheers
 
  • #5
Now, I am a little confused. Is it sent into the tokomak in the form or gas or injected as frozen pellets. Maybe, It starts with neutral gas and later fed with D-T ice pellets?
 
  • #6
Thanks. Your answers made it clear. I also got some anwsers in this website..

http://www.fusion.org.uk/info/glossary/glossmain.htm [Broken]
 
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1. What is fusion power and how does it work?

Fusion power is a type of energy production that involves combining light atomic nuclei, specifically deuterium and tritium, to form heavier nuclei. This process releases a large amount of energy, which can be harnessed to generate electricity. In order for fusion to occur, the nuclei must overcome their natural repulsive forces and fuse together, which requires extremely high temperatures and pressures.

2. What is the role of deuterium and tritium in fusion power?

Deuterium and tritium are both isotopes of hydrogen, which have one proton and one or two neutrons respectively. These isotopes are used in fusion power because they are the most easily fused nuclei and produce the most energy per reaction. Deuterium can be extracted from seawater, while tritium can be produced from the fusion reaction itself.

3. How is magnetic confinement used in fusion power?

Magnetic confinement is a method of containing and controlling the extremely hot plasma required for fusion. Strong magnetic fields are used to confine the plasma in a donut-shaped device called a tokamak, which prevents the plasma from coming into contact with the walls of the device. This allows the plasma to reach the high temperatures and pressures needed for fusion to occur.

4. What are the challenges and limitations of fusion power?

One of the biggest challenges of fusion power is achieving and sustaining the high temperatures and pressures required for fusion to occur. This requires a lot of energy and the use of advanced technologies. Additionally, the materials used to contain the plasma must be able to withstand the extreme conditions without degrading. There are also concerns about the availability and cost of deuterium and tritium, as well as the potential for radioactive waste from the fusion reaction.

5. How close are we to achieving practical fusion power?

While significant progress has been made in the development of fusion power, it is still considered to be in the research and development stage. The main challenge is achieving net energy gain, where the amount of energy produced by fusion reactions is greater than the energy required to sustain the reaction. While some experiments have achieved this briefly, sustained net energy gain has not yet been achieved. It is estimated that practical fusion power may still be several decades away.

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