Chemical Engg. Seminar Series : Dr. Shashank Chaturvedi

Nuclear Fusion : Overview of the Indian programme and possible future paths.

The Indian nuclear fusion and plasma research programme has been led by the Institute for Plasma Research in Gandhinagar, an Aided Institute under the Dept. of Atomic Energy. The programme has involved close interaction between IPR and other Govt. organisations, the Private Sector and Academia. As a result, the programme has major accomplishments to its credit. These include the design, development & operation of two Tokamaks, indigenous development of a range of fusion technologies with progressive increase in the indigenization component, and contributions to the international mega-project ITER. A 25-year, three-pronged Roadmap has been worked out for the expansion of this programme. This Roadmap includes indigenous development of the complete range of fusion reactor technologies, setting up of larger and more complex tokamaks leading to demonstration of fusion as a power source, development & deployment of Societal applications of plasmas, as well as Directed Basic Research aimed at futuristic technologies. This Talk will start with an overview of different fusion reactor concepts and progress in worldwide fusion research. It will then cover the Indian programme, followed by a summary of options for the future.