SST-Bharat Signifies India's Participation in the Global Fusion Competition

The researchers plan to create India’s initial fusion electricity generator, named the Steady-state Superconducting Tokamak-Bharat (SST-Bharat), which will produce 5 times the power input.

It will be a hybrid reactor combining fusion and fission, with 100 MW of the overall 130 MW generated through fission. The projected cost of construction is Rs 25,000 crore.

By 2060, the team plans to launch a 250 MW demonstration reactor with a output-to-input ratio (Q) of 20.

What does Nuclear Energy mean?

Nuclear energy is the energy emitted during nuclear reactions, either via fission (division of atomic nuclei) or fusion (combining of atomic nuclei).

In nuclear fission, heavy atomic nuclei like uranium or plutonium are divided into lighter nuclei, resulting in the release of significant energy.

This method is employed in nuclear power stations to produce electricity.

Process of nuclear fusion

It is a process where two light atomic nuclei merge to create a heavier nucleus, releasing a considerable amount of energy during the process.

This mechanism is identical to what fuels stars, such as our sun.

The most frequent fusion reaction features the hydrogen isotopes: deuterium and tritium.

When these isotopes combine, they create helium and emit a neutron, along with a significant amount of energy.