Overview
- Is the only account published of the ongoing ITER fusion energy project, now in an updated second edition
- Reads up to date on progress at ITER and also other fusion projects worldwide
- Examines the history, technical challenges, economics, and international politics of this globally important endeavour
Part of the book series: Copernicus Books (CB)
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Table of contents (19 chapters)
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Front Matter
Keywords
About this book
Aimed at bringing the “energy of the stars” to earth, ITER is funded by the major economic powers (China, the EU, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the USA). Often presented as a “nuclear but green” energy source, fusion could play an important role in the future electricity supply. But as delays accumulate and budgets continue to grow, ITER is currently a star partially obscured by clouds.
Will ITER save humanity by providing a clean,safe and limitless source of energy, or is it merely a political showcase of cutting-edge technology? Is ITER merely an ambitious research project and partly a PR initiative driven by some politically connected scientists? In any case, ITER has already helped spur on rival projects in the USA, Canada and the UK. This book offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at this controversial project, which France snatched from Japan, and introduces them to a world of superlatives: with the largest magnets in the world, the biggest cryogenic plant and tremendous computing power, ITER is one of the most fascinating, and most international, scientific and technological endeavours of our time.
Reviews
“The ITER project is, above all, a human endeavour, its complexity derived not only from massive components and precisely engineered structures, but also from relationships between individuals. For readers seeking a solid historical account and a unique perspective from a writer who has lived both inside and outside the project ... . ITER: the Giant Fusion Reactor offers an absorbing read. ... his work an engaging narrative.” (iter.org, April 8, 2024)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Michel is also teaching at the Free University of Brussels and has published a dozen of books and essays, including:
- At the Human scale – International practices in science communication (avec Donghong Cheng, Jenni Metcalfe, Bernard Schiele, Toss Gascoigne et Shi Shunke), Science Press, 2006
- Communicating European Research 2005 (M. Claessens editor), Springer, 2007
- Communicating Science in SocialContexts (edited by D. Cheng, M. Claessens, T. Gascoigne, J. Metcalfe, B. Schiele, S. Shunke), Springer, 2008
- Science communication in the world (Bernard Schiele, Michel Claessens and Shi Shunke editors), Springer, 2012
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: ITER: The Giant Fusion Reactor
Book Subtitle: Bringing a Sun to Earth
Authors: Michel Claessens
Series Title: Copernicus Books
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37762-4
Publisher: Copernicus Cham
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-37761-7Published: 07 November 2023
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-37762-4Published: 06 November 2023
Series ISSN: 2731-8982
Series E-ISSN: 2731-8990
Edition Number: 2
Number of Pages: XX, 265
Number of Illustrations: 4 b/w illustrations, 21 illustrations in colour
Topics: Nuclear Fusion, Energy Systems, Nuclear Energy, Energy Policy, Economics and Management, Sustainable Development