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India is spearheading its long-term nuclear-fusion research programme as scientists work toward producing, in a controlled manner, the process that powers the Sun — these fusion experiments are also commonly referred to as artificial sun. The process tries to establish extremely hot plasma and maintain conditions in which light atomic nuclei can fuse.
India’s programme is being conducted at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in Gujarat and includes tokamak experiments such as the SST-1 (Steady State Superconducting Tokamak). India is also a collaborator in the international ITER project in France.
How India’s Fusion Programme Functions
A tokamak uses powerful magnetic fields to restrict plasma inside a doughnut-shaped chamber. Fusion research seeks to heat this plasma to extremely soaring temperatures while keeping it stable for long periods.
India’s SST-1 is developed to review long-duration plasma operation using superconducting magnets. India has also featured maidenplasma in its indigenously produced Small Scale Spherical Tokamak (SSST), according to the Department of Atomic Energy.
Recent work on SST-1 has included advanced plasma-heating technology. A new gyrotron system reported in September operates at 82.6 GHz with 400 kW power, compared with the earlier 42-GHz system, supporting research into maintaining high-temperature plasma.
A Much Larger Experiment In France
India’s programme is considerably smaller in scale than ITER, the multinational fusion project being engineered in France.
ITER is developed to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power from 50 megawatts of heating power, targeting a fusion gain of at least 10. Its goal is to investigate a “burning plasma”, where energy ignited by fusion reactions contributes massively to sustaining the plasma temperature.
India is one of the partners contributing technology and components to ITER, providing Indian institutions expertise with large-scale fusion construction.
China’s EAST programme
China’s fusion programme, centred around the EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) device located at the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei, is commonly regarded as the leader in long-pulse magnetic fusion.
China’s EAST is comparatively larger than India’s SST-1. EAST possesses a massive radius of 1.85 metres and operates with fully superconducting toroidal and poloidal magnet coils comprising niobium-titanium.
China’s EAST holds global records for long-pulse high-confinement (H-mode) plasma functioning
Where India stands
India’s fusion programme is majorly relying on engineering domestic experience in plasma physics, superconducting magnets, heating systems and similar technologies. Its tokamaks are research mediums rather than commercial electricity-generating reactors.
India’s SST-1 is determined on evading magnet commissioning challenges, steady-state helium cooling mechanisms, and supporting indigenous diagnostic instrumentation.