2015年CRI ＂Reactor Relevant＂ Fusion, a Potential Game Changer in Energy Production（在线收听）

Fusion is how stars produce energy. It occurs when the nuclei of light atoms, such as hydrogen, are fused together under extreme pressure and heat.

Tokamak Energy, from Oxfordshire, believes that the third version of their compact, spherical tokamak reactor will be able to reach temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius by 2020. That's seven times hotter than the centre of the sun and the temperature necessary to achieve fusion, which fuses hydrogen atoms together, releasing huge energy. Such an achievement will potentially make an enormous contribution both to world energy supplies and reducing carbon emissions.

Senior Tokamak engineer Bill Huang says the key to their success is the spherical shape of its tokamak.

"Here what we're developing is building these small tokamaks, like ST25, and then we've got other devices using key technologies which are high temperature superconductors and spherical tokamak shapes. So we've got a slightly different shape from traditional fusion and this allows us to get a higher plasma pressure for a given magnetic field."

Tokamak Energy says its technology would be similar in costs to a nuclear fission plant, but without any fissile material and with no risk of meltdown.

The company is three stages into its five stage process - each involving a new reactor.

Tokamak CEO David Kingham believes it will be possible for his team to transfer energy to the grid by 2030.

"We want to get within five years to an energy gain, and from there we want to go on in ten years to get to first electricity, a device where we can demonstrate production of electricity from fusion, but it may be 15 years before we get energy to the grid in significant quantities."

Kingham adds Fusion will make a big difference to carbon emissions if it can be used.

"Fusion is one of those technologies which, if it could be harnessed, could be scaled up rapidly to be deployed world-wide by 2050 and could make a very big difference to carbon emissions and therefore to climate change from 2050 onwards."

A number of high-profile investors have already showed their interest in various fusion projects.