EANS-News: PVA TePla supplies giant ion source for fusion research

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Research & Development

Wettenberg (euro adhoc) - (Wettenberg, April 27, 2011) - PVA TePla
AG, Wettenberg, a manufacturer of high-temperature vacuum systems and
a specialist in the construction of crystal-growing systems, is to
supply an ion source for plasma (fusion) research to the Max Planck
Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching. This ion source is the
largest of its kind and, in a major physical experiment, is intended
to produce new findings on the generation of high-energy ion beams
with large cross-sections for nuclear fusion. This is an important
step on the path towards obtaining energy in a way that is clean and
compatible with mankind and the environment.

In this ion source, a hydrogen gas discharge is generated by
irradiation of high frequency. The resultant ions are extracted by
high voltage and accelerated through a system of grids towards the
test plant. The aim is to optimize the parameters of the ion beam,
which in a few years shall be used to heat a fusion plasma up to 80
million degrees Celsius.

PVA TePla has been building ion sources of this type for worldwide
plasma and fusion research for many years. The ion source now
manufactured for the Max Planck Institute boasts 2.5 times the
extraction area of previous sources. While ion sources were initially
used more in basic research into plasma physics, in recent years they
have become an integral part of application-oriented research into
fusion facilities.

In a fusion facility a process takes place similar to that which
occurs in the Sun, in which heavy and superheavy hydrogen isotopes,
deuterium and tritium, are fused to create helium. This releases
enormous amounts of energy. The technology required for this process
is complex, but is fundamentally different from nuclear fission with
its environmental effects and incalculable risks. Deuterium is
abundant in water, while tritium is generated in the fusion process
from lithium, which is similarly abundant on Earth. The planet´s
available reserves of this fuel could meet energy needs for hundreds
of thousands of years.

The ITER experimental facility is under construction in Cadarache in
southern France since 2009. The objective of this collaborative
international project, once completed in 8-10 years, is to prove that
it is possible to obtain power efficiently from the fusion of light
atomic nuclei. The ion source built by PVA TePla is a precursor to
those planned for ITER, which will be twice the size again.

As a supplier of crystal-growing systems for the solar industry, PVA
TePla has been active in the field of renewable energy for many
years. With this component for fusion research, the company is taking
part in another crucial project for environmentally friendly energy
generation of the future.

end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: PVA TePla AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Dr. Eberhard Pfaff
Project Manager, Special Physical Systems
PVA TePla AG
Phone: +49(0)641 6869 0277
Eberhard.pfaff@pvatepla.com

Dr. Gert Fisahn
Telefon: +49(0)641 68690-400
E-Mail: gert.fisahn@pvatepla.com

Branche: Misc. Industrials
ISIN: DE0007461006
WKN: 746100
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