Fusion Energy
Article by: Aarya Jagdale
What is Fusion??
Fusion is a thermonuclear process, which occurs at very high temperatures. The atoms have to be incredibly hot, which causes the electrons to split from the atom, making a plasma where nuclei and electrons are able to move around freely. Nuclei are all positively charged, therefore they tend to repel each other. In order to overcome this repulsion, the particles move very fast, causing temperatures to go up till millions of degrees. Fusion is what keep stars alive and glowing.
Stars are so massive, that the pressure in their core generates the heat to squeeze the nuclei together, until they merge and fuse, releasing energy in the process. This is the energy that scientists and researchers hope to recreate on the Earth, to create a new generation of powerplant.
The difference between Nuclear Fusion and Nuclear Fission
What are the advantages of Nuclear Fusion on Earth??
Sustainable Energy:
Fusing atoms together through nuclear fusion in a controlled way releases nearly four million times more energy than burning fossil fuels and four times more energy than nuclear fission reactions at an equal mass.
Environment Friendly:
Nuclear fusion does not emit greenhouse gases like CO2 in the atmosphere. Its major by-product is helium, which is a non toxic gas. Nuclear fusion reactors do not produce nuclear waste and doesn’t create materials like uranium and plutonium, which is harmful for humans and the environment.
“I would like nuclear fusion to become a practical power source. It would provide an inexhaustible supply of energy, without pollution or global warming.” — Stephen Hawking
How close are we to create Nuclear Fusion on Earth?
MIT designed a project which was a major advance towards fusion energy. The main element of this project is the world’s strongest magnet, which is made up of 16 sub magnets stacked inside a structural case.
The case is inserted into a test stand that replicates the conditions inside a Tokamak, which is a machine that confines plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape. Here, it is cooled to near absolute zero, or 20 Kelvin(K), which is -253.15 degree Celsius. The magnet then becomes superconducting and can accept large amounts of current that then creates a magnetic field. The goal of this test was to reach a magnetic field of 20 Tesla(T), which they successfully achieved.
“This record-breaking magnet is the culmination of the last three years of work and will give the world a clear path to fusion power for the first time” — Bob Mumgaard, CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems
This project has magnets similar in size and construction which are going to be used in SPARC (a compact, high field tokamak).
SPARC will have 18 magnets arranged in a toroidal configuration, creating a magnetic bottle which will produce and create a confined plasma. This will create practical net fusion energy Q>1, for the first time in the world.
Q>1: The power being released by the fusion reactions is more than the required power to use the machine.
It is this energy release that MIT researchers and scientists hope to achieve, and are therefore working tirelessly to create a new generation of powerplant by the year 2025.
“None of us are trying to win trophies at this point. We’re trying to keep the planet livable.” — Zuber, researcher at MIT
In reference to MIT news article, Inspired by Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In reference to Advantages of Fusion, Inspired by ITER.org
