Moon vows continued support for global ‘artificial sun’ project, called ITER
2024-09-23 05:26:02 [新闻中心] 来源:Anhui News
South Korean President Moon Jae-in stated Tuesday that his country remains committed to full support for a historic international project that seeks to create an artificial sun through fusion technology.
He was speaking in a video message to a ceremony, held in Cadarache, France, to commemorate the beginning of the assembly of the world‘s largest nuclear fusion reactor, which has the potential to solve mankind’s energy needs.
South Korea is a member of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) consortium, launched in late 2006, along with the European Union, the United States, Russia, China, Japan and India.
“Today, we have a cause to celebrate, as we embark on machine assembly for the ITER,” Moon said in pre-taped remarks. “As the protection of climate and environment assumes even more importance in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19, ITER and the member countries are presenting hope for the whole humanity.”
He called the artificial sun an “energy source of dreams.”
He also pointed out the power of international cooperation in the ITER program.
“We were able to overcome such hurdles and reach the stage of machine assembly because the seven member countries chose to pool their wisdom, with ITER playing a central role,” the president noted. “It is a proud achievement made possible by solidarity and cooperation among the international community.”
He highlighted South Korea‘s role in the process as the supplier of a massive tool, referred to as “giant,” that is tasked with assembling the most critical vacuum vessel sector of the reactor.
“Korean industries developed such vacuum vessel sectors over the course of the past decade or so, and the first sector will soon arrive at the ITER construction site,” he said. “Korea also led the way in international solidarity and cooperation through its unique brand of disease prevention measures and by sharing relevant equipment.”
Moon pledged that South Korea will continue support for the ITER project, which is likely to face more challenges ahead throughout the assembly work.
He said his government would help “more talented scientists and engineers” to participate in it.
“We will work together with the international community to realize our common dream of creating a ’clean and safe fusion energy‘ by 2050,” Moon stressed.
South Korea’s science authorities also took note of the nation‘s role.
“With the giant subassembly tool weighing 900 tons and standing 23 meters tall in place, ITER has started making the reactor with the goal of conducting a ’first plasma‘ test in December 2025,” the science ministry and the National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI) said.
NFRI chief Yoo Suk-jae said that at the assembly phase, South Korea is responsible for over 70 percent of the work, far exceeding its total share in the ITER project of 9 percent.
Besides the subassembly tool, the country is responsible for supplying the thermal shield, blanket modules for the vacuum chamber and the toroidal field coil that keeps the plasma field in place.
ITER uses deuterium and tritium as fuel, which is injected into a huge vacuum chamber and able to contain a super-hot plasma field.
The plasma field, reaching temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius, triggers the energy-generating fusion reaction creating helium, neutron particles and heat.
If this process can be sustained, it can theoretically create an artificial sun on Earth that can provide mankind with a limitless supply of power.
Deuterium and tritium can be found in the ocean and in fresh water, with pineapple-size deuterium-tritium fuel having the same amount of energy as 10,000 tons of coal.
The ITER plant is designed for 500 megawatt output, which if connected to a power grid translates into 200 MW of electricity, enough to provide power to 200,000 households.
A scaled-up commercial version could generate 2,000 MW of electricity that can be used by 2 million households.
Proponents of ITER said the cost of building and operating a commercial nuclear fusion reactor will be similar to that of a conventional fission nuclear power unit, but it will be carbon-free and without the added expenses of waste disposal or fear of catastrophic radiation-related accidents. (Yonhap)
(责任编辑:产品中心)
相关内容
- Apple's iPhone 17 will come with a huge RAM upgrade, report claims
- Moon extends lead over Chungcheong governor
- 回归山水之间享受生态家园
- Bayern expect quick impact from Tuchel
- The Composer Has No Clothes
- [From the Scene] How ‘world’s first oil town’ is wrestling to become ‘green'
- US 'incredibly concerned' about?suspected North Korea
- DJ Khaled is taking his social media Stories game to the next level
- Tuchel won’t celebrate win with Bayern players
- 12 Sculptures Made From Recycled Materials
- Rashford fires Man Utd into top four
- Man City thrash Liverpool
- Osasuna stun Athletic to reach Copa final
推荐文章
-
Amazon Android Days sale 2024: Save on unlocked phones, tablets, and more
Table of ContentsTable of ContentsUPDATE: Aug. 28, 2024, 1:50 p.m. EDT This story has been updated w ...[详细] -
今年的“3·15”是第29个国际消费者权益保护日,围绕今年“消费与民生”的活动主题,我市各区县都专门设立了接受广大市民投诉和咨询的维权专区,通过宣传法律法规和消费维权常识,发布食品、农资等消费提示、警 ...[详细]
-
Scheffler readies for Masters repeat bid
AUGUSTA:Scottie Scheffler will launch his bid to become just the fourth golfer to win back-to-back M ...[详细] -
Samsung says an improved Galaxy Fold will launch in September
Samsung's foldable phone is back on.An improved version of the Galaxy Fold will be ready to launch i ...[详细] -
50 Years Later: The Revolutionary 8008 Microprocessor
Guest author Ken Shirriff is a Silicon Valley-based computer enthusiast who enjoys reverse-engineeri ...[详细] -
Bradley the dog may only have three legs, but his humans have turned his missing limb into an adorab ...[详细]
-
本报讯 为保证“奋战40天,保证完成4万亩,争取完成5万亩,向6万亩冲击”的栽竹奋斗目标,近日,天全县委创先争优活动领导小组发出通知,号召全县基层党组织和广大党员,在“实干40天,栽竹6万亩”的攻坚行 ...[详细]
-
Rashford fires Man Utd into top four
MANCHESTER:Marcus Rashford sent Manchester United back into the Premier League top four with the win ...[详细] -
If aliens harnessed solar power, could we detect them? NASA investigated.
Somewhere in the galaxy, an advanced alien civilization might harness energy from its star. And NASA ...[详细] -
擂台砺兵促振兴,水头镇开展“百千万工程”优秀基层人才比选活动
擂台砺兵促振兴,水头镇开展“百千万工程”优秀基层人才比选活动_南方+_南方plus为畅通基层人才选育渠道,强化人才队伍建设,近日,佛冈县水头镇举办2024年“百千万工程”优秀基层人才比选活动,采取“择 ...[详细]
热点阅读