The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor has a new delayed schedule. First plasma is now slated for 2025 and the start of deuterium-tritium operation is set for 2035.
First plasma was originally scheduled for 2018 with the start of deuterium-tritium operation set for 2026. However, in July 2010 the Iter Council agreed a new schedule under which first plasma is slated for November 2019, with deuterium-tritium operation starting in March 2027.
It is estimated that in the coming years, the number of jobs linked to ITER—either direct, indirect or induced—will reach 6000 to 7000.
Original Ghostbusters quote – Dr. Raymond Stantz: Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities, we didn’t have to produce anything! You’ve never been out of college! You don’t know what it’s like out there! I’ve WORKED in the private sector. They expect *results*.
Thirty-five nations are collaborating to build Iter. The magnetic fusion device is designed to prove the feasibility of the fusion of hydrogen nuclei as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy. The EU is funding half of the cost while the remainder comes in equal parts from six other partners: China, Japan, India, Russia, South Korea and the USA. Construction began in 2010.
The ITER project aims to make the long-awaited transition from experimental studies of plasma physics to full-scale electricity-producing fusion power stations. The ITER fusion reactor has been designed to produce 500 megawatts of output power for several seconds while needing 50 megawatts to operate. Thereby the machine aims to demonstrate the principle of producing more energy from the fusion process than is used to initiate it, something that has not yet been achieved in any fusion reactor.
The first commercial demonstration fusion power station, named DEMO, is proposed to follow on from the ITER project.
ITER is designed to produce approximately 500 MW of fusion power sustained for up to 1,000 seconds. (compared to JET’s peak of 16 MW for less than a second) by the fusion of about 0.5 g of deuterium/tritium mixture in its approximately 840 m3 reactor chamber. Although ITER is expected to produce (in the form of heat) 10 times more energy than the amount consumed to heat up the plasma to fusion temperatures, the generated heat will not be used to generate any electricity
1985. At the Geneva summit meeting in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev suggested to Ronald Reagan that the two countries jointly undertake the construction of a tokamak EPR as proposed by the INTOR Workshop. The ITER project was initiated in 1988.
1988. Conceptual design activities ran from 1988 to 1990.
1992. Engineering design activities started.
1998. In June, the ‘Final design’ from the Engineering Design Activities was approved.
2001. In July, the “cost-cutting” ‘ITER-FEAT’ design was agreed.
2006. The ITER project was formally agreed to and funded with a cost estimate of €10 billion ($12.8 billion) projecting the start of construction in 2008 and completion a decade later.
2007. In September, fourteen major design changes were agreed to the 2001 design.
2013. The project had run into many delays and budget overruns. The facility is not expected to begin operations at the schedule initially anticipated.
2015. In November a project review concludes that the schedule may need extending by at least six years; (e.g. first plasma in 2026).
2016. Atomic Energy Organization of Iran completed the preliminary work for Iran to join ITER
In 2012 European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) presented a roadmap to fusion power with a plan showing the dependencies of DEMO activities on ITER and IFMIF
Conceptual design to be complete in 2020
Engineering design complete, and decision to build, in 2030
Construction from 2031 to 2043
Operation from 2044, Electricity generation demonstration 2048
So now with the eight year delay in ITER, Nextbigfuture added the time to 2012 DEMO first commercial fusion reactor plan
Conceptual design to be complete in 2028
Engineering design complete, and decision to build, in 2038
Construction from 2039 to 2051
Operation from 2052, Electricity generation demonstration 2056
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