March 28, 2024

The most powerful electromagnet on Earth designed for a thermonuclear reactor has been created

The most powerful electromagnet on Earth designed for a thermonuclear reactor has been created

Researchers have built the most powerful high-temperature superconducting electromagnet on Earth, designed to contain plasma in a fusion reactor.

Fusion is the purestway of producing energy. Since in order to maintain a self-sustaining process of fusion of atoms, the plasma must be very hot, at least 100 million °C, the main problem of the reactor operation is to contain it and prevent contact with the surface of the tokamak walls. This is achieved through strong magneticfields that actually enclose plasma in an invisible force cocoon.

Due to the lack of suitable magnets for thisgoals, previously there were some doubts about the timing of the implementation of large projects of thermonuclear energy, such as ITER. Now, a team of scientists from MIT has partnered with Commonwealth Fusion Systems to unveil the first large, high-temperature superconducting electromagnet that can support field strengths up to 20 Tesla.

This is the highest indicator for this typedevices ever created on Earth. Moreover, each of its 16 plates, folded together, individually can also be considered the most powerful high-temperature superconducting magnet in the world.

The created device will become part of the tokamak of a small experimental thermonuclear power plant SPARC, which is planned to be built in 2025.

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