Technology and Scienceupdated 22m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 20 June 2014Iran Prepares To Commission First Fully Indigenous Nuclear Fusion System
4 West Asian2 OtherPhoto: U.S. Department of Energy from United States / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Iran to commission its first fully indigenous nuclear fusion system. Mohammad Eslami, head of AEOI, confirms the facility will enter operation soon.
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Iran readies fusion system
Iran is preparing to bring its first domestically developed nuclear fusion system into operation, the head of the nuclear agency said in a televised interview on Sunday. Mohammad Eslami said Iranian scientists had made considerable progress in developing the system and expressed hope it would be brought into operation in line with the project’s schedule.
Ali Nowrouzi, head of Iran’s Advanced Technologies Company, said nuclear fusion involves bringing two light isotopes together under specific and complex physical conditions to trigger a fusion reaction. Nowrouzi said the radiation produced through the process could be used to develop radiopharmaceuticals and advanced medical diagnostic systems, while he also described a longer-term goal of generating high electrical currents without energy losses within the system.
Tokamak and “soon” timeline
Mohammad Eslami, Vice President and head of the Atomic Energy Organization, said in a televised interview that “We hope that the first Iranian tokamak, which is built with 100 percent domestic knowledge and from which we can use as a leading technology, will become operational in accordance with the planned timeline.” Eslami told Iranian state television that “Iran’s first fusion facility, designed for use in multiple productive sectors, and especially electricity generation and medicine, will soon come online.”
Mیدل ایست نیوز said Eslami confirmed the facility would enter operation soon but did not specify what type of fusion facility is being prepared for operation, nor did he reveal its technical specifications or production capacity, and he did not provide a specific date. Mیدل ایست نیوز also said the announcement came as part of Tehran’s efforts to develop nuclear fusion technologies using local capabilities and to broaden their use in industrial, medical, and energy sectors.
Applications and what’s unknown
Ali Norouzi said Iran’s approach places two light isotopes in specific and complex physical conditions so that when the isotopes collide, nuclear fusion occurs. Norouzi said the radiation produced in the process can be used to manufacture radiopharmaceuticals and also in advanced diagnostic medical systems, and he added that the strategic project aims to reach a system that can conduct and generate a very high electrical current without any energy loss inside it.
میدل ایست نیوز said Eslami did not mention any specific external collaboration in the project, and it said no details were released about the facility’s capacity, the type of fuel, or containment technologies used. میدل ایست نیوز also said the announcement remained an internal step promoted by Tehran as part of its efforts to strengthen reliance on local technologies, while it cited Rosatom’s Alexey Likhachev saying Iran’s nuclear power plant projects would be linked to political, military, and economic conditions.