Nuclear Fusion Reactor

Fusion / Tokamak · Gen V (future) · First operated: TBD

The holy grail of clean energy - fusing hydrogen isotopes as the Sun does, releasing enormous energy with no long-lived radioactive waste.

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0%Global share

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0Units operating

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150 million°C (plasma)Operating temp

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Unknown (demonstration phase)Thermal efficiency

01 How It Works

Fusion combines light atomic nuclei (deuterium and tritium - isotopes of hydrogen) at extreme temperatures (150 million°C - 10× hotter than the Sun's core) to form helium, releasing enormous energy. A tokamak uses powerful magnetic fields to confine the plasma. In December 2022, the US National Ignition Facility achieved "ignition" for the first time - producing more energy than the lasers put in. However, commercial fusion power remains decades away.

02 Pros & Cons

✓ Advantages

Fuel (deuterium from seawater) is virtually unlimited
No long-lived radioactive waste
No risk of meltdown - plasma instantly stops if containment fails
Enormous energy density

✗ Disadvantages

Not yet commercially viable - "always 30 years away"
Requires extreme temperatures - engineering challenge
Tritium fuel must be bred - supply chain complex
Massive capital cost for ITER and demonstration plants

03 Specifications

THERMAL EFFICIENCYUnknown (demonstration phase)

OPERATING TEMP150 million°C (plasma)

PRESSURENear vacuum (plasma chamber)

FUELDeuterium + Tritium

COUNTRIESITER (35 nations), UK, USA, South Korea, China, private ventures

04 Did You Know?

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ITER, being built in France by 35 nations, will be the world's largest tokamak. First plasma is targeted for 2025. Private companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems aim to have a net-energy fusion device by the early 2030s.