Nuclear fusion reactors could one day replace the rather unpredictable nuclear fission power stations like Sellafield, and this is a rare chance to see it in action.
“Nuclear” usually conjours up images of Chernobyl and more recently the Japanese nuclear power stations after the 2011 earthquake, but nuclear fusion is the safe non-toxic cousin of what we currently use to generate electricity.
Nuclear fusion reactors have only very recently been made to work at any scale, but Britain has some of the leading research into this field which has the ability to transform the energy supply and do away with coal, oil, gas and nuclear fission reactors.
One of the most advanced centres is just outside Didcot in Oxfordshire, and a few times a year they give the public a chance to tour the facility and even watch nuclear fusion taking place. You can see a reactor in use in the picture above – the glow is the very very hot plasma.
The next tour is Wednesday 14th September starting around 7pm but places are limited so early booking is essential. Tours are free and can be booked via 01235 466375 or email lisa.jones@ccfe.ac.uk
If you want an idea what the tour consists of, see this post on nuclear fusion by Ian Visits who was lucky enough to take part in one of the previous tours.
For anyone wondering if we could have one of these reactors in the airing cupboard – in theory yes, but the several million degree C temperature required to create fusion might be a little hard on your clothes. However this is exactly the same trick which the sun uses to keep burning.
Links in Oxfordshire:
Really big impressive image of nuclear fusion reactor
Things to see around Didcot
Hotels in Didcot
4 Comments
Nuclear fusion is a lot safer. The reaction is failsafe. In the event of a loss of power the fusion stops. That is not to say it is not toxic. The neutrons generated by the reaction strike the metal of the cooling circuits and change the atomic structure of the materials making them radioactive, albeit not as deadly as some of the isotopes produced in fission reactors.
The ITER Project has offices just around the block from me. The next reactor destined for the South of France is much larger and should generate a net energy output for the first time.
The only small problem I can forsee with Nuclear Fusion is what happens in say an earthquake where the plasma might hit the floor of the chamber? Isn’t it going to be seriously hot and thus start melting its way through the surface of the earth?
i would so love to see this in action. it must be an amazing sight.
Trev, LOL if the containment fails so does the fusion. It the few grammes of 10 million degrees hydrogen will rise to the top of the toroid and cool instantly.