The World’s Biggest Science Project

The World’s Biggest Science Project:

An "Artificial Sun"

The world's most challenging scientific project by ITER

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor( ITER)

It is science’s star experiment: an attempt to create an artificial sun on earth — and provide an answer to the world’s impending energy shortage.

This is an experimental Fusion Reactor being constructed presently at Cadarache, in the South of France. ITER is a step towards future production of electricity from fusion energy. Nuclear Fusion is the process in which the Sun and the stars produce the energy by fusing light nuclei of hydrogen. ITER will produce at least ten times more energy than the energy required to operate it. This energy can be converted to electricity.

The ITER partners are presently the People's Republic of China, the European Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States of America.

The ITER partners have signed an agreement in Brussels on May 24 to launch

the construction of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor

(ITER) in southern France.

It is a big budget science project, second only to the International Space Station.

23 Indian scientists are part of one of the The world's most challenging scientific project by ITER.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) brings together India,

China, South Korea, USA, Japan, Russia and the European Union as scientists see if they can jointly harness the power of the Sun by literally confining it in a steel bottle.

Concept behind this project

- To to produce unlimited supplies of cheap, clean, safe electricity

- Provide electricity to each and every village.

- Reduce the use of non renewable source for production of electricity.

According to scientists estimate there are 40 trillion tons of deuterium in sea water.

After nuclear fusion reaction under extremely high temperatures of 100 million

degrees Celsius, the deuterium extracted from one litre of sea water will produce as much energy as that of 300 liters of gasoline(petrol).

1 litre of sea water produce energy = 300 liters of gasoline(petrol)

Scientists have been attempting to harness nuclear fusion since Albert Einstein’s equation E=mc², which he derived in 1905, raised the possibility that fusing atoms together could release tremendous amounts of energy.

According to Dr. Ravi Grover, head of the Indian delegation at ITER, 'fusion is inherently safe, there is no danger of an uncontrolled chain reaction and fears of a nuclear explosion are negligible, producing almost no long lived radioactive waste'.

The cryostat acts like a thermos flask but operates at some of the coldest temperatures ever seen in the universe, working at minus 269 degrees Celsius. This is used to keep the special super conducting magnets at the cold temperature at which they need to operate; the entire fusion system would collapse if it can't be kept cold.

India plays key role in building super machine that will offer unlimited energy

Near the banks of the Sabarmati, in the green city of Gandhinagar, a team of 122 scientists and engineers from across India is working silently on building some crucial nuclear components. These are meant to power the world’s largest nuclear reactor, coming up in the Cadarache province of southern France.

India is also expected to contribute about 9,000 cores over the next decade to the project, (10% of the total cost).

Ratan K Sinha, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Mumbai, had recently remarked: “Participation of India in the ITER project, with its immense scientific talent and industrial competence,has provided an opportunity to India to master cutting-edge technologies.

India is one of the significant creators of the Tokamak which will weigh 23,000 tons-as heavy as three Eiffel Towers-with a plasma volume of 840 cubic metres.