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Dispatch → Account → Science
by 
The State of Ostehaar.
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239 reads.
Global Experimental Thermo-Nuclear Reactor (GETR) Project
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Welcome to the GETR hub, the home of the multi-national project to develop the technology for Nuclear Fusion. This page will keep up to date of the status of the project, which nations have contributed and the progress of the mission.
If you would like to get involved, please get your national representative to send a telegram to 
Ostehaar for more information.
Origins of Fusion |
Fusion power has the potential to provide sufficient energy to satisfy mounting demand, and to do so sustainably, with a relatively small impact on the environment.
Nuclear fusion has many potential attractions. Firstly, its hydrogen isotope fuels are relatively abundant – one of the necessary isotopes, deuterium, can be extracted from seawater, while the other fuel, tritium, would be bred from a lithium blanket using neutrons produced in the fusion reaction itself. Furthermore, a fusion reactor would produce virtually no CO2 or atmospheric pollutants, and its other radioactive waste products would be very short-lived compared to those produced by conventional nuclear reactors.
On 24 August 2015, 
a proposal has been opened up to fund and build the GETR project, along with the eventual goal to fund the creation of an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. The program is anticipated to last for 30 years – 10 for construction, and 20 of operation. GETR was originally expected to cost approximately $10 billion, but the rising price of raw materials and changes to the initial design may see the required budget rise. The reactor is expected to take several years to build. Site preparation for the reactor will commence as soon as a location for the reactor is agreed.
GETR is designed to produce approximately 500 MW of fusion power sustained for up to 1,000 seconds by the fusion of about 0.5 g of deuterium/tritium mixture in its approximately 840 m3 reactor chamber. Although GETR is expected to produce (in the form of heat) 10 times more energy than the amount consumed to heat up the plasma to fusion temperatures, the generated heat will not be used to generate any electricity.
Project Objectives |
GETR's mission is to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power, and prove that it can work without negative impact. Specifically, the project aims:
To momentarily produce ten times more thermal energy from fusion heating than is supplied by auxiliary heating (a Q value equals 10).
To produce a steady-state plasma with a Q value greater than 5.
To maintain a fusion pulse for up to 480 seconds.
To ignite a 'burning' (self-sustaining) plasma.
To develop technologies and processes needed for a fusion power plant — including superconducting magnets and remote handling (maintenance by robot).
To verify tritium breeding concepts.
To refine neutron shield/heat conversion technology (most of the energy in the D+T fusion reaction is released in the form of fast neutrons).
Participants |
Currently there are numerous parties participating in the GETR program: Ostehaar (through HERG and FIF), Polar Svalbard (through Sedolv Mikla and various power companies), Noronica, Ingalund, Linaviar, Miklania, Covonant, and Vancouvia.
Currently, GETR's work is supervised by the GETR Council, which has the authority to appoint senior staff, amend regulations, decide on budgeting issues, and allow additional states or organizations to participate in GETR. The present Chairman of the GETR Council is Martin Den Volakh from Ostehaar.
Participating Countries and financial support
Member Nation | Investment ($M) | Portion of the $10B Goal |
1,000 | 10% | |
1,000 | 10% | |
1,000 | 10% | |
1,000 | 10% | |
600 | 6% | |
200 | 2% | |
175 | 1.75% | |
150 | 1.5% | |
Total | 5,125 | 51.25% |
Criticisms |
From the very beginning of the project, there has been many voices of criticism and concern aimed towards Ostehaar, GETR and its participants.
In several nations, activists have demonstrated against GETR and nuclear fusion. Whilst some of the protests are against nuclear power in general (often referring to incorrect or out-of-context slogans and information), a large number of them are against the financial investments. Many of the voices raised insist that the world would do better to invest the $10 billion USD in other projects - ranging from solar and wind technologies - to tackling poverty, homelessness and hunger.
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