What is the Ideal Plasma Pressure for Successful Fusion?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The ideal plasma pressure for successful fusion is crucially linked to ion density and temperature. A pressure of approximately 200 kPa is noted as a reference point, while ITER aims for a target pressure of 90 kPa. For deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion to occur, temperatures must reach around 100 million Kelvin. Understanding these parameters is essential for advancing fusion technology.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of plasma physics concepts
  • Knowledge of fusion processes, specifically deuterium-tritium fusion
  • Familiarity with pressure measurements in pascals
  • Basic principles of confinement time in fusion reactors
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the role of ion density in plasma physics
  • Study the ITER project and its operational parameters
  • Explore the relationship between temperature and pressure in fusion reactions
  • Learn about the advancements in confinement techniques for fusion energy
USEFUL FOR

Researchers in plasma physics, engineers working on fusion technology, and students studying nuclear fusion processes will benefit from this discussion.

korneld
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
I am trying to wrap my head around the concepts in fusion. They talk about ion density, but I don't ever see that expressed in pascals, for instance. Why is that? I understand that confinment time is also important for successful fusion and that they go hand in hand, but I'm not concerned about that right now.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Density and temperature fix the pressure, no need to use all three parameters, but you can find pressure values. 200 kPa here, for example.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: korneld
mfb said:
Density and temperature fix the pressure, no need to use all three parameters, but you can find pressure values. 200 kPa here, for example.

OK, cool. Thanks. With this in mind, what is the minimum pressure and temp at which DT fusion occurs? They talk about the record of 2 atm, but they don't say how far off they were.
 
There is no minimum pressure but it should be roughly in that range. ITER aims at 90 kPa as far as I know.
Temperatures need to be around 100 million K.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
1K
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
5K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
3K
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
3K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K