Ukukhula kokusetyenziswa kwamandla kuye kwanda ngokuhamba kweminyaka njengoko ukuguqulwa kwamandla kuye kwaphuhliswa. Oku kukhula kokusetyenziswa kwehlabathi kuvelisa imfuno yokuphonononga iindlela ezintsha, ezisebenzayo kunye nezizinzileyo zamandla. Kulo mxholo, i fusion yenyukliya Ivezwa njengenye indlela enesakhono esikhulu sokuvelisa amandla. Nangona kunjalo, okwangoku ayikho kwinqanaba lemizi-mveliso ngenxa yemiceli mngeni emikhulu yobugcisa. Enye yeenzame eziphambili kakhulu zokuphuhlisa le teknoloji yi Iprojekthi ye-ITER (I-International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), inkqubo yamazwe ngamazwe ejonge ukubonisa ukusebenza kokuhlanganiswa kwenyukliya.
Kweli nqaku siza kuchaza ukuba yintoni inkqubo ye-ITER, yintoni eyona njongo yayo kunye neendaba zamva nje malunga nophuhliso lwayo.
Yintoni iTERA
El NGAPHAMBILI Yenye yeeprojekthi ezinkulu nezintsonkothileyo zenzululwazi ehlabathini. Sisixhobo sokwenza umfuniselo se-nyukliya sokudibanisa esifuna ukuphinda-phinda iinkqubo ezenzeka kwi ngaphakathi kweLanga kunye nezinye iinkwenkwezi, apho ukudibanisa kweeathom zehydrogen kuvelisa amandla. Kwi-reactor efana ne-ITER, ukuphendulwa kwe-fusion kwenzeka kwindawo elawulwayo, enezixhobo ezigqithisileyo kunye namaqondo obushushu azama ukulinganisa iimeko ze-solar core, ezivelisa umthamo omkhulu wamandla.
Udibaniso lweNyukliya lubandakanya ukudibanisa iiathom ezimbini zokukhanya, ngokwesiqhelo deuterium y tritium, ukwenza ubunzima obunzima (i-helium) kunye nokukhulula ubuninzi bamandla kwinkqubo. La mandla makhulu kakhulu kunalawo afunyenwe ngokuqhekeka kwenyukliya, okuyinkqubo esetyenziswa ngoku kwizityalo zenyukliya eziqhelekileyo. I-ITER isebenzisa inkqubo yemagnethi yokuvalela ngesixhobo esaziwa ngokuba yi “tokamak”. Le reactor imile okwe-toroid (idonathi) kwaye isebenzisa imagnethi enamandla amakhulu ukugxila kwiplasma eshushu eyimfuneko kwimpendulo yefusion ngaphandle kokuba idibane neendonga zereactor.
Omnye wemiceli mngeni emikhulu yetekhnoloji yeprojekthi ye-ITER kukufikelela kumaqondo obushushu macala onke I-150 yezigidi zeedigri zeCelsius, malunga namaxesha angama-10 aphezulu kunalawo angundoqo weLanga Lo mgangatho wobushushu uyimfuneko ukuze udibanise i-hydrogen isotopes phantsi kweemeko ezilawulwayo. Injongo ye-ITER kukubonisa ukuba udibaniso lwenyukliya alunakwenzeka nje kuphela, kodwa lunokuba ngumthombo wamandla onokuthengiselwa kwixesha elizayo.
Amandla anokuveliswa ngokudityaniswa kwenyukliya anokuba ngokoqobo engenakuphela, ekubeni i-fuel main, i-deuterium kunye ne-tritium, ininzi kakhulu. I-Deuterium inokukhutshwa kumanzi olwandle, ngelixa i-tritium inokufumaneka kwi-lithium, into eqhelekileyo kwiplanethi.
ITER, iCadarache neSpain
ITER yakhiwa ngaphakathi ICadarache, kumazantsi eFransi, iziko lophando elinembali ende kwizifundo zenyukliya. Ukusukela oko yasungulwayo, le projekthi inkulu iye yaba nentsebenziswano yamazwe angama-35, aquka iManyano yaseYurophu, iUnited States, iChina, iIndiya, iJapan, iRashiya noMzantsi Korea.
Uhlahlo lwabiwo-mali lokuqala lolwakhiwo lwalumalunga ne-5.000 yezigidi zee-euro, nangona la manani anokunyuka kakhulu njengoko iprojekthi iqhubeka. Kuqikelelwa ukuba ukwakhiwa kwe-ITER kuya kuthatha malunga neminyaka eyi-10, kwaye ukusebenza kwayo kuya kwandiswa ubuncinane iminyaka engama-20 eyongezelelweyo. Ngeli xesha, injongo ephambili iya kuba ukubonisa ukuba kunokwenzeka ukudala a iplanti yokudibanisa amandla amakhulu, ekwazi ukuvelisa amandla amaninzi kunalawo awasebenzisayo.
ISpain nayo idlala indima ebalulekileyo kwiprojekthi ye-ITER. Ukususela ngo-2007, i ikomkhulu le-European Fusion Agency ibekwe e-Barcelona, apho uninzi lwemizamo ilungelelaniswe phakathi kweenjineli zaseYurophu, izazinzulu kunye nabalawuli ababandakanyekayo kwiprojekthi. ISpain ithatha inxaxheba ngokukhutheleyo kuphando kunye nophuhliso lwezixhobo eziphambili kwi-reactor, ukongeza ekusebenzisaneni ekuyilweni kweenkqubo zokulawula kude kunye nokuxilongwa kwangaphambili ukujonga nokulawula ukusebenza kwe-tokamak.
Izinto eziluncedo kwiNuclear Fusion
Uphuhliso lwe-nyukliya fusion luneenzuzo ezininzi ezenza kube lukhetho olunomtsalane kakhulu lwamandla:
- Akukho kukhutshwa kwerhasi yegreenhouse: Ngokungafaniyo namafutha efosili, izityalo zamandla ezidityanisiweyo azikhuphi ikharbon diokside okanye izinto ezingcolisa umoya emoyeni ngexesha lokusebenza.
- Khu seleko: Ukudityaniswa kweNyukliya akubonakalisi mngcipheko ofanayo nowokuqhekeka kwenyukliya. Kwimeko yokusilela kwe-reactor, iimpendulo ziya kuyeka ngokwendalo, ngaphandle kweziphumo eziyintlekele ezifana nezo zinokuthi zenzeke kwisityalo sokuqhekeka.
- Amafutha amaninzi: Njengoko kukhankanyiwe, i-deuterium inokufumaneka ngokulula kumanzi olwandle, kwaye i-tritium inokuveliswa kwi-lithium, iqinisekisa ukunikezelwa kwepetroli phantse okungenamkhawulo.
- Ukuveliswa okuncinci kwenkunkuma ye-radioactive: Nangona indibaniselwano yenyukliya ivelisa inkunkuma ethile, incinci kakhulu kwaye ingenabungozi kangako kunoko kuveliswa kukuqhekeka. Inkunkuma ye-Fusion iye ingabi yingozi kumashumi ambalwa eminyaka, ngelixa inkunkuma ye-fission inokuhlala i-radioactive kangangamawaka eminyaka.
Iindaba zamva nje kunye nenkqubela phambili yetekhnoloji
ITER iye yafikelela kwinqanaba elibalulekileyo kwiminyaka yakutshanje. Ngo-2012, ilayisensi yokwakha yafunyanwa kwabasemagunyeni baseFransi, kwaye ngo-2014 umsebenzi waqala ukudibanisa iinxalenye eziphambili ze-reactor kunye namacandelo. Izibonelelo ziye zasasazwa kumazwe athatha inxaxheba, ngokweminikelo yawo kule projekthi.
Enye yezona zinto zibalulekileyo kwimbali yamva nje ye-ITER yaba kukuqala kwendibano ye undoqo womatshini ngo-2020. Le ndibano iya kuhlala malunga neminyaka emihlanu, kwaye iplasma yokuqala - isigaba apho i-reactor iqala ukusebenza - kulindeleke ukuba ifunyenwe nyaka 2025. Nangona le plasma yokuqala iya kuba yeyomzuzwana kwaye eyona njongo iphambili iya kuba kukubonisa ukuba iimagnethi zisebenza ngokuchanekileyo, iphawula inyathelo elibalulekileyo ekuqinisekiseni ingqikelelo yokudibanisa okukhulu.
Omnye wemingeni ephambili yokusonjululwa kukulawulwa kwegesi ye-radioactive tritium, eyenziwa ngexesha lokuphendula kwe-fusion. I-ITER iphanda iindlela zokulawula ngokukhuselekileyo kunye nokuvala esi sixhobo.
Ukongeza kwinkqubela phambili ekwakhiweni kwe-reactor, izazinzulu kunye namaqela ophando emhlabeni jikelele asebenza kwezinye iinkalo eziphambili zokuqinisekisa impumelelo ye-ITER. Bayaphuhlisa iindlela ezingcono zokuxilonga kunye neenkqubo zokusebenza ukulawula ukuzinza kweplasma, kunye nezinto ezintsha kwiindonga zangaphakathi ze-reactor ezinokumelana neemeko ezigqithiseleyo eziveliswa yi-fusion.
Ukubanakho kobugcisa kunye norhwebo lokudibanisa kwenyukliya kuya kuhlala kuphantsi kovavanyo kumashumi amabini eminyaka azayo, kodwa iziphumo zokuqala ziyathembisa. Iingcali sele zikholelwa ukuba i-ITER inokuba linyathelo lokuqala eliya kwikamva lamandla elilawulwa yinyukliya, kwaye abanye baqikelela ukuba imveliso yamandla orhwebo Ukusuka kulo mthombo kuya kwenzeka malunga nonyaka ka-2050.
I-ITER imele elona themba lamandla okudibanisa inyukliya njengesisombululo sexesha elide kumngeni wamandla kunye nokusingqongileyo kwihlabathi lanamhlanje.