Power generation through nuclear fusion, one of the technologies of the future, was considered “difficult to achieve”, but as technology advances, it is becoming a reality. Alex Creely, a scientist at Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) and the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), discusses the challenges researchers currently face in commercializing fusion energy in 2019, says Erica Salazar.
A commercial path to fusion – Physics World
https://physicsworld.com/a/a-commercial-path-to-fusion/
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is continuing its research into nuclear fusion power generation to create safe and clean energy, but it was reported that government funding was cut off in 2016. Although it appears Although the path to commercialization of fusion energy production is closed due to the end of aid, it was decided to continue the research in cooperation with CFS, a private company. As of 2019, Creely and Salazar still aim to commercialize fusion power generation.continuation of experiments.
Nuclear fusion is an event that occurs inside the Sun and has been considered extremely difficult to replicate on Earth. Before fusion can occur, the atoms that make up the fusion fuel must come physically close to each other because the nuclei that make up the fusion fuel must experience electronic repulsion. To do this, the fusion fuel must be heated to 200 million Kelvin, but at this temperature, all matter turns into plasma, and the electrons and nuclei separate and move into pieces. This is one of the technical challenges of energy production by nuclear fusion.
However, with the advent of next-generation superconducting materials and other technological advancements, the above challenges are gradually being overcome. Although energy production through nuclear fusion has been considered difficult to achieve, it is believed that through the technological development of scientists, it is possible to create a nuclear fusion facility on a scale that will have an impact on climate change. Many private companies have expressed interest in fusion power generation, and the large amount of funding provided has been one of the main reasons for the technology's advancement.
In fact, following a solicitation for funding from the private sector, MIT and CFS successfully designed and built a nuclear fusion device called SPARC.
Various technologies have been developed to achieve energy production by nuclear fusion, but the one that is considered the most promising istype of tokamakofMagnetic field confinement methodEast. A tokamak uses a powerful electromagnet to create a strong magnetic field, and the plasma is isolated in a donut-shaped vacuum chamber. The plasma is then heated using radio waves. SPARC is an evolution of this type of tokamak.
The challenge with tokamaks is that the machine must be large to get enough power, which makes it very expensive.International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)is about to be built in France starting in 2019, but the cost is in the tens of billions of dollars (billions of yen). Due to tight budgets and schedule delays by partners, the fusion reactor is not expected to reach peak performance until around 2035.
The world's first commercial-scale nuclear fusion reactor is expected to come online in 2025, with the cooperation of 35 countries, including Japan – GIGAZINE
apart from that,Joint European Research Center Torus(JET) and others are also building nuclear fusion facilities apart from the above.
One of the criteria for distinguishing tokamak fusion facilities such as SPARC, ITER and JET is the new type of fusion facility.high temperature superconductivityEastYttrium-based superconductorIt depends if you use (YBCO) or not. YBCO current carrying ribbon can maintain high magnetic field. Researchers believe YBCO is the technology that makes nuclear fusion possible, because the high magnetic field improves plasma insulation and enables higher performance than previous tokamak types.
Although high-temperature superconductors offer benefits to fusion power plants by reducing plant sizes, reducing capital costs, and increasing operating temperatures, they are not without risks and challenges. Challenges include stresses and thermal loads on machines due to high magnetic fields, as well as uncertainties in the manufacturing and operation of high-temperature superconducting coils. To reduce these risks and verify the magnetic system design, SPARC plans to build and test a full-scale prototype over several years. Particular emphasis will be placed on building a rapid cooling system and managing the sudden loss of superconductivity.
In the technological development of nuclear fusion power generation, there is a lot of room for ideas and innovation to solve problems. “Nuclear fusion will need the passion to address technological challenges and generate innovative ideas to break down barriers to create unlimited clean energy,” the researchers said.
Copy the title and URL of this article