Essay by Eric Worrall
h/t Felix; The projected date of plasma generation in 2025 has been pushed back by “months, even years”.
International nuclear fusion project could be delayed for years, head admits
Facility in France is still far from being able to demonstrate the feasibility of generating carbon-free energy despite a recent breakthrough in the US
AFP in Saint-Paul-Les-Durance
Saturday, January 7, 2023 05.35 AEDT…
Iter’s stated goal was to make plasma by 2025.
But that deadline will have to be postponed, Pietro Barabaschi – who in September became the project’s general manager – told Agence France-Presse during a visit to the facility.
Barabaschi said the date was “unrealistic from the start,” even before two major problems emerged.
One problem, he said, was the wrong size for the joints of the blocks welded together in the 19 meter x 11 meter (62 ft x 36 ft) installation chamber.
The second is traces of corrosion in heat shields designed to protect the outside world from the enormous heat generated during nuclear fusion.
Fixing problems “is not a matter of weeks, but months, even years,” says Barabaschi.
…
A lot of green advocates have talked about fusion as a short- and medium-term alternative to coal. Eg, The Biden administration recently announced its 2032 consolidation goal. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced 2019 scientists at Oxford are “going to create commercially viable miniature fusion reactors for sale around the world”.
Due to the failure of this ITER, perhaps the Greens will need to keep coal plants running a little longer than they anticipated.
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