

World nations inject $12.8-billion USD into the project





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By Le Québécois on 11/25/2006 6:21:03 AM , Rating: 3
ITER is just one of the first step in creating a real fusion reactor. The way ITER will works is not a perfect fusion reaction.

Normally a fusion reaction like the sun uses it's own energy to nourish istself. ITER is different. It needs to be feed a little amount of energy from an outside source to works. From what I remember ITER will produce around 500MW while needing an external source of energy of 50MW to works.

That's why ITER has no chance to go BOOM. The second something wrong would happend in the reactor a security system would cut ITER energy sources and the fusion reaction will simply stop. The heat needed for the fusion reaction to survive the way ITER works can't be reach without this oustide source.

It's not like a Fission reactor : when the fission begins, it nourish itself and if nothing is done to controle or to stop the reaction, it will continue to do so until it explodes.

In the future if we ever are able to produce a reactor that can feed itself without an outside that could be dangerous...but for now ITER, even at full power is no danger at all.

It is as simple as to pull the plug of the wall.


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