„I can also say that for example a long distance runner is running long distances because he or she is a long distance runner, we are high-tech engineers so we are doing high-tech engineering. This is so simple.” Said Gábor Veres, the Head of Plasma Physics Department, Wigner RCP.
He is very proud of our engineers who are working on the World’s largest fusion experiment which is currently under construction in South of France. Our engineer’s task is to „ensure that all the cables which will be installed to the ITER machine, perform correctly and will be functional until the end of the project which is 20 years.” said Miklós Palánkai, mechanical engineer, who is the technical responsible person of this project.
Countries including more than half of the world population have joined to create ITER, one of the biggest research project on Earth. The members are China, the EU, India, Japan, South-Korea, Russia, the USA.
ITER is also a magnetic confinement experimental device, its construction is a keystone in fusion research since numerous physics processes and technological solution will be able to be tested in ITER for the first time.
ITER worksite in June 2017
Among others ITER aims to produce 500MW fusion power with 50MW of heating power, with this achievement it will demonstrate that fusion is a feasible way of energy production on Earth. Tritium breeding techniques will also be tested here for the first time. This experiment will establish the concept of the first fusion power plant which will produce energy to the grid.
As a member of the European Union’s Fusion Research Programme, Wigner Research Centre for Physics and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics are contributing in ITER project. More than 30 Hungarian physicists and engineers involved in this huge project which is being built in South-France.
