If one day you pass through Cadarache, in Bouches-du-Rhône, know that a few meters beneath your feet lies one of the most impressive machines ever built: the ITER Central Solenoid. This giant magnet, as tall as a six-story building, weighs more than a thousand tons and could, according to engineers, lift an aircraft carrier without breaking a sweat. We are far from the magnet on the fridge!
A magnet worthy of a science fiction film
This colossus is the heart of the ITER experimental reactor, an international project which aims to recreate the energy of the Sun here on earth. To do this, we must heat a mixture of hydrogen and deuterium up to 150 million degrees, or ten times more than in the heart of our star. The Solenoid, surrounded by a squad of 24 other magnets, will generate a magnetic field powerful enough to keep this incandescent plasma levitating, without ever touching the walls.
At full power, the system will achieve a magnetic force 280,000 times greater than that of Earth. To hold up, everything is cooled to –269°C using liquid helium. ITER is a bit like the improbable encounter between a giant freezer and a mini-sun.
Behind this metal monster lies global cooperation worthy of the greatest space projects. Thirty-three countries are participating in the adventure: Europe, the United States, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea and India, each contributing its part. China manufactured the pipes which cool the whole thing, Russia delivered immense ring-shaped magnets, and India was responsible for the cryostat, a sort of steel bell 30 meters high which encompasses everything.
« This project shows that, despite political tensions, we can still build something positive for humanity together. », rejoices Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director General. And it has what it takes: 500 megawatts of energy are expected for only 50 megawatts injected. An efficiency that would put more than a coal-fired power station to shame.
Before lighting up the planet, ITER must first prove that it works. The reactor will not yet produce electricity, but it must demonstrate that a stable fusion reaction can be maintained for several minutes. The first full tests are planned for 2035, almost twenty years behind the initial schedule. Don’t panic: in the world of research, it’s almost a tradition. And the stakes are worth it.
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