As the world seeks more sustainable ways to generate carbon-free energy, fusion technology offers a promising solution that can be controlled as needed. Recent advancements in fusion research have shown the potential for extracting energy from fusion reactions. Over 30 countries are collaborating on the construction of the International Experimental Thermonuclear Reactor (ITER) in France, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power.
The total magnetic field energy of the magnet system used for the ITER fusion reactor in France is up to 41 gigajoules, which is 250,000 times stronger than Earth’s magnetic field. This milestone marks the completion of a two-decade long design process that involved manufacturing components across three continents.
ITER’s design features a tokamak reactor that uses hydrogen to create plasma in a doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber, simulating the conditions at the core of the Sun. The plasma is heated to an extreme temperature of 150 million degrees Celsius to initiate fusion reactions. To confine the plasma within the reactor and control its behavior, giant superconducting magnets are used. These magnets utilize niobium-tin and niobium-titanium as fuel, with an intricate cooling process to facilitate superconductivity.
The design of the ITER reactor includes various types of superconducting magnets strategically placed to form an invisible magnetic cage that contains the plasma. D-shaped magnets, horizontal surrounding magnets, and a central solenoid all work together to create and control the plasma currents within
