ITER is a proposed international experiment designed to show the scientific and technological feasibility of a fusion power reactor. It builds upon research conducted on devices such as TFTR, JET, JT-60 and T-15, and will be considerably larger than all of them.
The name stood for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, but is now no longer an acronym. The word 'iter' means 'the way' in Latin and so the name is now used as a reference to ITER being the way to harnessing nuclear fusion as a peaceful power source.
ITER began in 1985 as a collaboration between the then Soviet Union, the USA, Europe (through EURATOM) and Japan. Conceptual and engineering design phases led to an acceptable detailed design in 2001, underpinned by $650M worth of research and development by the "ITER Parties" to establish its practical feasibility. These (with the Russian Federation replacing the Soviet Union and with the USA opting out of the project between 1999 and 2003) have been since joined in negotiations on the future construction, operation and decommissioning of ITER by Canada (who terminated their participation at the end of 2003), the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea. The project is expected cost ~$10 billion over its thirty year life.
ITER will run in parallel with a materials test facility, the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility or IFMIF , which will develop materials suitable for use in the extreme conditions that will be found in future fusion power plants. Both of these will be followed by a demonstration power plant, DEMO , which would generate electricity. A prototype plant to follow DEMO would be the first to produce commercial power.
Location
The location of ITER has not been decided yet and is currently (as of 2004) debated; current possible sites are Cadarache in France and Rokkasho-mura in Japan. Recent negotiations between Japan and Europe, aiming at finding a compromise, have failed. "The Japanese have not yet given up, the Europeans will never give up, negotiations are on their way", a diplomat said. Since the middle of October 2004, Europe has started evaluating the possibility of continuing with the project alone. [1] With the design finalised, once a site is chosen construction can begin.
Power
ITER will produce approximately 500 MW (megawatt, 1 million watt) of fusion power in a steady-state (compared to JET's peak of 16 MW for less than a second), the average nuclear plant has a capacity of 1,000 MW (1 GW).
Future
ITER is the experimental step between today’s studies of plasma physics and tomorrow's electricity-producing fusion power plants.
It is technically ready to start construction and the first plasma operation is expected in 2015.
See also
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