NEWS: Bengaluru-based startup Pranos Fusion announced a roadmap to develop a privately built tokamak nuclear fusion reactor.

ABOUT

• PRAGYA → Experimental tokamak to test plasma control and superconducting magnets.
• PRANIK → Proposed larger tokamak reactor; blueprint targeted by 2027.

NUCLEAR FUSION

• Nuclear Fusion → Two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing enormous energy.
• Fuels → Deuterium + Tritium (hydrogen isotopes) = Helium + Neutron + Energy.
• Natural Occurrence → Powers the Sun and other stars.

HOW DOES A TOKAMAK REACTOR WORK?

• Tokamak → Doughnut-shaped magnetic confinement device used to control superheated plasma.
• Plasma → Ionised gas containing free electrons and charged particles.
• Temperature → Approximately 100 million°C required for fusion.
• Superconducting Magnets → Confine plasma and prevent contact with reactor walls.
• Magnetic Confinement → Maintains conditions necessary for fusion reactions.

PRANOS FUSION – MAJOR PROJECTS

• PRAGYA → Compact experimental tokamak for testing plasma control and superconducting magnets.
• PRANIK → Proposed larger tokamak designed to achieve extremely high plasma temperatures.
• Target → Finalise PRANIK's blueprint by 2027.

ADVANTAGES OF NUCLEAR FUSION

• Abundant Fuel → Deuterium can be extracted from water.
• No Uranium Required → Unlike conventional nuclear fission.
• No Self-Sustaining Chain Reaction → Lower risk of runaway reactions.
• Low-Carbon Energy → Potential source of large-scale, low-carbon electricity.
• Safety → Fusion reactions stop when extreme temperature and confinement conditions are lost.

CHALLENGES & INVESTMENT

• High Temperature → Maintaining plasma at approximately 100 million°C is difficult.
• High Cost → Commercial fusion electricity remains expensive.
• Cost Reduction → Compact reactors, High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) magnets and Indian manufacturing capabilities.
• Funding → $7.2 million raised.
• Investors → Ankur Capital, Pi Ventures and Industrial47.
• Commercialisation → Economically generating electricity remains a major challenge.