To: Eric who wrote (704 ) 12/8/2008 1:02:26 PM From: HPilot Read Replies (1) | Respond to No fusion plant exists that produces power for electrical generation and probably not for another 50 years. jet.efda.org Have followed the various development programs closely for over 40 years and we still have a long, long ways to go to actually having a plant of any size that would have a sustained reaction. "The JET facilities include plasma heating systems capable of delivering up to 30 MW of power," In the 1997 JET experiments, for instance, a steady fusion power of about 5MW was produced, lasting for around 5s, after which time the plasma heating was turned off and the plasma allowed to cool. In that case the reduction in plasma temperature is a deliberate result of reducing the heating power. "In 2005 the decision was made to build ITER, the next step experimental reactor. The mission of ITER is to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power production. This includes the production of 500 megawatts with a power amplification factor of 10. JET is the physics model for ITER and, without its results, ITER would not have been possible. Today, JET continues to play a major role in supporting ITER’s construction and operation, as clearly defined within the "JET Programme in support of ITER". Since 2006 JET has operated with ITER-like plasma shapes. In the near future experiments are foreseen with the same combination of materials for plasma-facing components as in ITER. This should deliver answers to urgent plasma-surface interaction questions, such as tritium retention, and provide operational experience in steady and transient conditions with ITER wall materials."
