We Went Inside the Largest Nuclear Fusion Reactor
We Went Inside the Largest Nuclear Fusion Reactor
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Executive Producers - Fred Mills, James Durkin and Graham MacAree
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Content
5.68 -> this is where they are building the
7.279 -> largest nuclear fusion reactor
10 -> in the world
11.84 -> right now i am inside the assembly hall
14.08 -> of the international thermonuclear
15.92 -> experimental reactor in the south of
18.08 -> france and just behind me back there is
20.48 -> where scientists and engineers are
22.08 -> working to replicate
23.76 -> what happens inside the sun
26.96 -> now this is so much more than just
29.039 -> another energy project it's a 22 billion
31.76 -> dollar science experiment between a
33.76 -> whole host of nations all coming
35.36 -> together
36.48 -> to try and change how we generate power
38.64 -> on this planet
41.92 -> lighter's mission to create a new
43.6 -> carbon-free energy source couldn't be
45.36 -> more urgent global energy use is
47.44 -> projected to nearly double by 2050 and
49.68 -> we've got to drastically cut our use of
51.6 -> fossil fuels
54.32 -> some scientists hope that controlled
56.32 -> nuclear fusion could be the holy grail
58.48 -> of energy but there's a catch
60.719 -> as it stands right now no reactor has
62.8 -> ever been able to produce more energy
64.559 -> through nuclear fusion than it takes in
67.04 -> light is aiming to be the first and if
69.28 -> it's a success
70.799 -> it could quite literally change the
72.64 -> world
82.32 -> nuclear fusion
84 -> the energy which fires the hydrogen bomb
86.88 -> and the sun
88.56 -> could this be the pot of gold waiting at
90.56 -> the end of the rainbow
92.32 -> to provide energy which is cheap clean
95.6 -> and inexhaustible
97.52 -> in november 1985 general secretary
100.079 -> gorbachev of the soviet union made a
102 -> proposal to us president ronald reagan
104.799 -> form an international coalition to
106.56 -> develop fusion energy for peaceful
108.479 -> purposes
110.399 -> a year later the eu japan soviet union
113.2 -> and us all agreed to design a nuclear
115.439 -> fusion facility called ita today that
118.24 -> effort has grown to include thousands of
120.079 -> engineers and scientists across 35
122.719 -> member nations
124.399 -> scientists plan to use this 23 000 ton
127.52 -> reactor to basically in layman's terms
130.479 -> create a tiny star here on earth
133.599 -> that's then used to power the world now
136.16 -> if that sounds like a really big deal to
138.08 -> you
139.04 -> it's because it is
140.959 -> the nuclear reactors you're probably
142.56 -> familiar with use a process called
144.319 -> fission where atoms are split apart and
146.4 -> energy is released in the form of heat
148.08 -> and radiation that's the same process
150.48 -> that powers those terrible atomic bombs
152.4 -> and the nuclear power plants we have
153.92 -> today it's driven by elements like
156 -> uranium and plutonium which can be hard
158 -> to get hold of and end up as dangerous
160.239 -> nuclear waste
162.56 -> nuclear fusion however is the process by
164.959 -> which atoms are fused together using
166.879 -> elements that are abundant on earth like
169.04 -> the hydrogen isotopes you can extract
171.12 -> from water
172.4 -> heat generated from nuclear fusion
174.16 -> reactors can be used to produce steam
176.08 -> that can power turbines and generators
178.08 -> to create electricity
180.56 -> once you can do that you kind of have an
182.319 -> unlimited supply of carbon free energy
184.319 -> that isn't dictated by whether it's
185.92 -> sunny or windy the problem is achieving
188.56 -> efficient scalable nuclear fusion here
190.8 -> on earth is still really hard to do you
193.519 -> need a machine that can withstand
194.8 -> temperatures 10 times hotter than the
196.64 -> core of the sun and twice the force
198.56 -> required to launch a space shuttle
201.12 -> that's all to say this thing has to be
203.04 -> really really durable and that's where
205.12 -> the insane levels of concrete and
206.64 -> engineering that you see going on here
208.319 -> all come into play
210.04 -> [Music]
212.799 -> here's how it'll work
214.56 -> hydrogen atoms are injected into this
216.799 -> vacuum vessel then a giant
218.64 -> superconducting magnet around the
220 -> machine is turned on and the voltage
222.159 -> strips the electrons from their atoms
223.92 -> forming something called plasma it's a
226 -> state of matter that's sort of like gas
228.239 -> hopefully you're still with us
230.48 -> that plasma is then heated to extreme
232.879 -> temperatures up to 150 million degrees
235.92 -> celsius the atoms then fuse together and
238.56 -> release a huge burst of thermal energy
240.72 -> in the process
241.92 -> that nuclear reaction produces four
244.4 -> times as much energy as nuclear fission
247.04 -> and four million times the amount of
249.2 -> energy you can get from burning the same
250.72 -> amount of coal oil or gas
254.72 -> the ita tokamak will be the largest and
257.04 -> most powerful fusion device in the world
259.28 -> with one million components and 10
262.32 -> million parts
264.24 -> those parts are all made and assembled
266 -> by items member countries and then
267.919 -> shipped here to this 445 acre site in
271.12 -> france it's kind of like building a lego
273.44 -> kit just 10 million times more
275.84 -> complicated
277.52 -> i'm colette ricketts and i work as the
279.68 -> deputy head of the project control
281.52 -> office for ita organisation
284.24 -> it's my job to make sure that all the
287.199 -> bits that are needed to put together the
289.52 -> lego kit that is eater show up on time
293.52 -> the right color the right shape at the
295.44 -> right time i am the grand master of the
298.24 -> lego kit
300.16 -> with so many heavy components needed to
301.919 -> make the machine 104 kilometers of
304.32 -> roadway have been specially modified
306.8 -> into something that's now known as the
308.479 -> ita itinerary we've built bridges we've
311.6 -> widened roads we have police convoys to
314.639 -> get our components through it's a
316.639 -> massive undertaking just to move a
318.639 -> component
320.4 -> everything then comes here into the
322.4 -> massive assembly hall parts are put
324.72 -> together and these enormous cranes on
326.4 -> the ceiling above my head lifted up
328.8 -> and over
330 -> into the reactor
334.56 -> at its core we're still building the
336.639 -> same facility we were building and was
339.199 -> imagined
340.639 -> decades ago
342.4 -> but of course every week something
344.88 -> changes because we're on a global
346.32 -> platform pandemics brexit political
349.199 -> elections so then we reschedule we
352.08 -> reorientate our program i spend most of
355.199 -> my time saying well that was the plan
357.36 -> but nothing goes to plan and this is how
359.6 -> we're going to adapt
363.68 -> now i'm a self-confessed construction
365.44 -> geek and ita really is the ultimate
367.759 -> construction project if you thought
369.84 -> getting one national government to build
371.52 -> an infrastructure scheme was hard try
373.44 -> doing it with 35 nations all with
375.759 -> different languages cultures and
377.36 -> building practices it's a pretty nuclear
379.84 -> level of project collaboration and tools
381.84 -> from think projects are helping to make
383.68 -> it all happen
384.88 -> so it's the coming together of these
386.639 -> nations who recognize that there's a
388.8 -> problem with the environmental
390.319 -> conditions
391.84 -> recognize the potential of fusion to
395.759 -> solve the base load energy problem and
398 -> are now working together
400.16 -> in the most amazing collaborative way i
402.319 -> think there's something like 45 home
404.4 -> native languages at the eta head office
408 -> it's an amazing thing
410.319 -> behind all the concrete magnets and
412.16 -> metal there's a lot of different people
413.759 -> building shipping and assembling
415.44 -> millions of specialized parts
417.68 -> and all those different people
418.8 -> contributing to item need contracts to
420.72 -> get paid and make sure their work is
422.24 -> being accounted for thinkproject manages
424.88 -> contracts for nearly 400 users across 30
427.84 -> organizations and those 35 nations it's
431.199 -> not the most glamorous part of the
432.479 -> project but it's the glue that kind of
434.479 -> keeps the whole thing together
439.12 -> the stakes are high for iter and staying
441.12 -> organized is essential
442.96 -> there's been a lot of money invested in
444.88 -> this and it's a crucial moment in our
446.56 -> energy transition away from fossil fuels
448.72 -> and towards renewable sources
451.919 -> the immense project is scheduled to
454 -> first power on in 2025 when they'll hope
456.479 -> to create plasma eventually the goal is
458.8 -> to create at least for a few seconds
460.639 -> what scientists call net energy where
463.44 -> more energy is produced than used once
465.84 -> that small task is done the next
467.52 -> challenge will be to actually funnel the
469.039 -> energy made through fusion into our
470.879 -> existing power grids
472.639 -> but that's still a couple of decades
473.919 -> away and will likely be taken up by
475.919 -> other
476.84 -> reactors fighter isn't the only group
479.28 -> trying to harness the power of nuclear
480.96 -> fusion a growing number of coalitions
482.96 -> and private companies are racing to
484.479 -> figure out how to make fusion power
486.08 -> commercially viable
487.759 -> and competitive with the price of fossil
489.599 -> fuels the new u.s infrastructure bill
491.68 -> has a number of provisions for nuclear
493.44 -> energy research and production
497.12 -> once someone cracks the code
498.72 -> commercially scalable carbon free energy
500.8 -> production would dramatically reduce the
502.72 -> world's dependence on fossil fuels
505.12 -> but it'll take time and lowering the
506.96 -> cost of renewable energy might help us
508.8 -> get there first
510.479 -> the possibility of a future that is good
513.519 -> for our children and our children's
515.36 -> children
516.479 -> with a good standard of living demands
518.88 -> fusion there's no other solution
524.159 -> standing here at the very center of this
526.32 -> reactor that could quite literally
528.56 -> change the world is a really powerful
530.32 -> reminder of just how impactful the
532.32 -> construction industry can be you know
533.76 -> none of this will be possible without
535.76 -> the sector that so many of you
537.6 -> work to create every day
540.08 -> the spot where i'm currently standing in
541.44 -> decades to come could be seen as the
543.2 -> birthplace
544.32 -> of a new kind of energy on this
546.839 -> planet not sure it gets cooler than that
552.8 -> this video was made possible by think
554.399 -> projects you can learn more about that
555.6 -> at the link below and as always guys if
557.839 -> you want to get more from the definitive
559.36 -> video channel for construction from the
561.12 -> channel that takes you
562.64 -> inside the very heart of a nuclear
564.08 -> reactor
565.2 -> make sure you're subscribed to the b1m
571.36 -> [Music]
577.92 -> you
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BkOUOK0XzM