Moscow fusion reactor agreement
Russia and Italy have entered into an agreement to build a new fusion reactor outside Moscow that could become the first such reactor to achieve ignition, the point where a fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining instead of requiring a constant input of energy.
The design for the reactor, called Ignitor, originated with MIT physics professor Bruno Coppi, who will be the project’s principal investigator.
The concept for the new reactor builds on decades of experience with MIT’s Alcator fusion research programme, also initiated by Coppi, which in its present version (called Alcator C-Mod) has the highest magnetic field and highest plasma pressure of any fusion reactor, and is the largest university-based fusion reactor in the world.
Ignitor would be about twice the size of Alcator C-Mod, with a main donut-shaped chamber 1.3m across, and have an even stronger magnetic field. It will be much smaller and less expensive than the ITER (with a chamber 6.2m across), currently under construction in France. Although originally designed to achieve ignition, the ITER reactor has been scaled back and is now not expected to reach that milestone.
The Ignitor reactor, Coppi said, will be ’a very compact, inexpensive type of machine’, and unlike the larger ITER could be ready to begin operations within a few years.
Register now to continue reading
Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.
Benefits of registering
-
In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends
-
Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year
-
Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox
Experts speculate over cause of Iberian power outages
I´m sure politicians will be thumping tables and demanding answers - while Professor Bell, as reported above, says ´wait for detailed professional...