What happens to plasma when it is in magnetic field?

As the ions in the plasma are charged (the plasma is so hot all the negatively-charged electrons are stripped off the atoms, leaving them with a positive charge) they respond to magnetic fields. Extra fields help shape the plasma and hold it stable within the tokamak interior.

How is plasma heated in a tokamak?

Within the tokamak, the changing magnetic fields that are used to control the plasma produce a heating effect. The magnetic fields create a high-intensity electrical current through induction, and as this current travels through the plasma, electrons and ions become energized and collide.

How is plasma contained in a fusion reactor?

Microwaves, electricity and neutral particle beams from accelerators heat a stream of hydrogen gas. This heating turns the gas into plasma. This plasma gets squeezed by super-conducting magnets, thereby allowing fusion to occur. The most efficient shape for the magnetically confined plasma is a donut shape (toroid).

Can you contain plasma in a magnetic field?

Plasmas consist of charged particles—positive nuclei and negative electrons—that can be shaped and confined by magnetic forces. Like iron filings in the presence of a magnet, particles in the plasma will follow magnetic field lines.

How is plasma confined?

Plasma confinement refers to the containment of a plasma by various forces at the extreme conditions necessary for thermonuclear fusion reactions. These conditions exist naturally in stars, where they are sustained by the force of gravity. In the laboratory, researchers use strong magnetic fields to confine plasma.

What does a tokamak do?

The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel.

How does the tokamak reactor work?

Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel. Just like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant will use this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators.

What would happen if a nuclear reactor exploded?

If the reactor had a melt-down and caused a crash, AND if the containment somehow was breached, radioactive material would be dumped into the atmosphere and the effect might be similar to Chernobyl. The explosion would mostly produce x-rays and gamma rays, which would be absorbed by our atmosphere.

What type of magnetic field does a tokamak use?

Current tokamaks use two magnetic fields, a poloidal and a toroidal one. The poloidal field is created from the transformer effect and the current in the plasma itself. This field causes the plasma particles to spin in a helix pattern as it travels through the tokamak.

What causes the poloidal field in a tokamak?

The poloidal field is created from the transformer effect and the current in the plasma itself. This field causes the plasma particles to spin in a helix pattern as it travels through the tokamak. This spinning keeps the particles constantly moving toward the center of the toroidal field and away from the walls.

How is current induced in a current tokamak?

In current tokamaks, the current is induced in the plasma through a process known as ohmic heating. This uses the same idea as a transformer does, which is shown in the picture below. The inner loop in the python model represents the central loop acting as a transformer.

How does plasma respond to a magnetic field?

As the ions in the plasma are charged (the plasma is so hot all the negatively-charged electrons are stripped off the atoms, leaving them with a positive charge) they respond to magnetic fields.