SCI-FI-TEK
Preliminary design completed on Russian prototype fusion reactor
The preliminary design of Russia's proposed TRT tokamak nuclear fusion reactor has been completed by JSC NIIEFA.
The project, being carried out by specialists at JSC NIIEFA for Rosatom's Department of Scientific and Technical Programmes and Projects, is part of the federal KP RTTN project to develop technologies for controlled nuclear fusion and innovative plasma technologies.
Rosatom describes the TRT (tokamak with reactor technologies) as "a tokamak with a long discharge pulse, a strong magnetic field and an electromagnetic system made of a high-temperature superconductor ... the construction of the TRT is an important stage in the development of controlled thermonuclear fusion and the creation of a nuclear power reactor in Russia - an environmentally friendly source of energy with virtually inexhaustible fuel resources".
The draft design sets out the fundamental design solutions and a general idea of the structure, dimensions and operating principles for the TRT as well as the technical requirements for the external systems of the tokamak such as the power supply, cryogenic cooling, water cooling, vacuum pumping and maintaining operating pressure.
The TRT is designed to play a key role in Russia's plan to develop future nuclear fusion and/or fusion-fission hybrid power reactors.
Alexey Konstantinov, Deputy Director and Chief Designer of NTC Sintez, said: "The preliminary design of a tokamak with reactor technologies developed at JSC NIIEFA is a major milestone ... acceptance of the preliminary design marks the start of further work on the creation of the TRT both at JSC NIIEFA and at other research centres, institutes, and enterprises ... the results of the work performed provide the opportunity to move on to the next stage - the development of the technical design of the TRT."
Sergey Gertsog, Director General of NIIEFA, said: "The implementation of such a project will provide a virtually unlimited source of clean and safe energy and significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuels, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Possession of such technologies will raise the country to a new level of technological development and attract investment in research and development, which will contribute to the development of related industries, such as materials science, cryogenic technology and supercomputers, and the creation of new jobs."
The preliminary design work for the TRT began in 2022 and leans, among other things, on experience and knowledge gained from the multinational ITER project to build a fusion plant in southern France. Rosatom adds that "at the same time, a large number of new technologies that do not exist anywhere else in the world will be tested for the first time at TRT". A concept paper describes the project as being "developed to facilitate fast and economically sound transition to the pure fusion reactor as well as to the fusion neutron source for the hybrid fusion-fission system". The goal was said to be to build TRT by 2030.
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