Inkqubo yaMandla eFusion yase-UK: Uyilo lweNgcinga ye-STEP Prototype Power plant iyatyhilwa 

Indlela yokuvelisa amandla e-fusion yase-UK yathatha imilo ngokubhengezwa kwe-STEP (i-Spherical Tokamak yeMveliso yaMandla) inkqubo ngo-2019. Isigaba sayo sokuqala (2019-2024) sifikelele esiphelweni ngokukhutshwa koyilo lwengcamango ye-fusion prototype powerplant edibeneyo. Iza kusekelwa kusetyenziso lomhlaba wemagnethi wokuvala iplasma usebenzisa umatshini we tokamak nangona kunjalo INYATHELO yase-UK izakusebenzisa i tokamak engqukuva endaweni yedonathi emilise okwesintu itokamak esetyenziswa e-ITER. I- tokamak engqukuva kucingelwa ukuba ineengenelo ezininzi. Isityalo siya kwakhiwa e-Nottinghamshire kwaye kulindeleke ukuba sisebenze ekuqaleni kwe-2040s.  

Isidingo somthombo othembekileyo wamandla acocekileyo ukuhlangabezana nemfuno yamandla ekhulayo yabantu abakhulayo kunye noqoqosho lwehlabathi olunokuthi luncede ngokukhawuleza ukuhlangabezana nemingeni (ebangelwa ngamafutha e-fossil aphelelwayo, ukukhutshwa kwekhabhoni kunye nokutshintsha kwemozulu, imingcipheko yokusingqongileyo ehambelana ne-fission reactors yenyukliya, kunye nokungahambi kakuhle. Ubungakanani bemithombo ehlaziyekayo) zange ivakale ngokumandla kunangoku.  

Ngokwendalo, umxube wenyukliya unika amandla iinkwenkwezi kuquka nelanga lethu elenzeka embindini weenkwenkwezi apho iimeko zokudityaniswa (oko kukuthi ubushushu obuphezulu ngokugqithisileyo kudederhu lwekhulu lezigidi zedigri centigrade kunye noxinzelelo) zilawula. Ukukwazi ukudala iimeko zokudibanisa ezilawulwayo emhlabeni ngundoqo kumandla acocekileyo angenasiphelo. Oku kubandakanya ukwakhiwa kwemeko-bume edityanisiweyo enobushushu obuphezulu kakhulu ukuxhokonxa amandla amakhulu, enoxinaniso olwaneleyo lweplasma ukunyusa amathuba okungqubana kwaye enokuvalela iplasma ixesha elaneleyo lokuvumela ukudibanisa. Ngokucacileyo, iziseko zophuhliso kunye netekhnoloji yokuvalela kunye nokulawula iplasma eshushu kakhulu yeyona mfuno iphambili yorhwebo lwamandla okudibanisa. Iindlela ezahlukeneyo ziyaphononongwa kwaye zisetyenziswa kwihlabathi liphela ukuvalelwa kwiplasma ekufezekiseni urhwebo lwamandla okudibanisa.   

I-Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) 

Kwindlela yokudityaniswa kwe-inertial, iimeko zokudibanisa zidalwa ngokucinezela ngokukhawuleza kunye nokufudumeza isixa esincinci sesibaso esidityanisiweyo. IZiko leSizwe lokuPhumeza (i-NIF) e-Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) isebenzisa ubuchule be-laser-driven implosion ukuhlohla iicapsules ezizaliswe ngamafutha e-deuterium-tritium kusetyenziswa imiqadi yelaser ene-eneji ephezulu. I-NIF ifumene ukutshiswa kwe-fusion kuqala ngoDisemba ka-2022. Emva koko, ukutshiswa kwe-fusion kwaboniswa kwizihlandlo ezithathu ngo-2023 eqinisekisa ubungqina bokuba ukudibanisa inyukliya elawulwayo kungasetyenziswa ukuhlangabezana neemfuno zamandla.  

Ukuvalelwa kwemagneti kwindlela yeplasma  

Ukusetyenziswa kweemagnethi ukuvala kunye nokulawula iplasma yokudibanisa kuyazanywa kwiindawo ezininzi. I-IITER, eyona ntsebenziswano yamandla edityanisiweyo yezizwe ezingama-35 ezizinze eSt. ukuvutha kokudibanisa kwenzeke. Ingqikelelo ekhokelayo yokuvalelwa kweplasma yezityalo zamandla ezidityanisiweyo, i-tokamaks inokugcina ukusabela kwe-fusion kuqhubeka ixesha elide njengoko kukho uzinzo lweplasma. I-tokamak ye-ITER iya kuba yeyona inkulu ehlabathini.   

INYATHELO lase-UK (iSpherical Tokamak yeMveliso yaMandla) Inkqubo yeFusion: 

Njenge-ITER, inkqubo yokudityaniswa kwe-STEP yase-United Kingdom isekwe kukuvalelwa kumagnethi kwiplasma kusetyenziswa i-tokamak. Nangona kunjalo, i-tokamak yenkqubo ye-STEP izakumila okwesangqa (endaweni ye-ITER's donut shaped). I- tokamak engqukuva ixinene, inexabiso elisebenzayo kwaye kunokuba lula ukukala.  

Inkqubo ye-STEP yabhengezwa ngo-2019. Isigaba sayo sokuqala (2019-2024) sifikelele esiphelweni ngokukhutshwa koyilo lwengcamango ye-fusion prototype powerplant edibeneyo.  

Umxholo we-Philosophical Transactions A weRoyal Society, onesihloko esithi “ Delivering Fusion Energy – The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) ” oquka amaphepha ali-15 ahlolwe ngontanga wapapashwa ngomhla wama-26 kweyeThupha ngo-2024 achaza inkqubela phambili yobugcisa yenkqubo yokuyila nokwakha isityalo sokuqala seprototype sase-UK ukuvelisa umbane ukusuka kwi-fusion. Amaphepha athatha umfanekiso opheleleyo woyilo kwaye achaze ubuchwepheshe obufunekayo kunye nokuhlanganiswa kwabo kwisityalo seprototype ekuqaleni kweminyaka yoo-2040.

Inkqubo ye-STEP ijolise ekuvuleni indlela yorhwebo lokudityaniswa kokudibanisa ngokubonisa amandla aseleyo, ukwanela kwamafutha ngokwawo kunye nendlela esebenzayo yolondolozo lwezityalo. Kuthatha indlela ebanzi ukunikezela ngeprototype yeplanti esebenza ngokupheleleyo ekwathathela ingqalelo ukuphelisa ugunyaziso njengenxalenye yoyilo. 

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Iingxelo:  

1. Urhulumente wase-UK. Ukukhutshwa kweendaba-i-UK ekhokela ihlabathi kuyilo lweplanti yombane. Ipapashwe nge-03 Septemba 2024. Ifumaneka e https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-leading-the-world-in-fusion-powerplant-design  

2. 'Ukuzisa i-Fusion Energy - i-Spherical Tokamak yeMveliso yaMandla (STEP). Ushicilelo olunomxholo weRoyal Society yePhilosophical Transactions A,. Onke amanqaku ali-15 aphononongwe ngoontanga kumxholo opapashwe nge-26 Agasti 2024. Ifumaneka apha https://royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rsta/2024/382/2280  

3. Abaphandi base-UK batyhila umbono woyilo lweplanti entsha yokudibanisa amandla. Inzululwazi. 4 Septemba 2024. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/science.zvexp8a 

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Amanqaku afanelekileyo  

• IiBrown Dwarfs (BDs): ITelescope kaJames Webb ichonga eyona nto iNcinane yenziwe ngendlela efana neNkwenkwezi (5 Januwari 2024) 

• 'Umlilo weFusion' ubonise okwesine kwiLabhoratri yaseLawrence (Ngomhla we-20 kuDisemba 2023) 

• I-Fusion Ignition iba yinyani; I-Energy Breakeven iphunyeziwe kwiLabhoratri yaseLawrence  (Ngomhla we-15 kuDisemba 2022)  

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