DOCSLIB.ORG

Dr. Peter O'shea

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dr. Peter O'shea Dr. Peter O’Shea TRIUMF Saturday Morning Public Lecture - CONFIDENTIALNovember 18, 2017 Introduction to General Fusion • Founded in 2002 by Michel Laberge ( UBC PhD Physics 1990, Laser Fusion ) • Privately backed by investors including Jeff Bezos and Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Malaysian Sovereign Wealth Fund) • 75 employees, $100M+ in funding ( Many UBC Alumni, especially Eng. Physics ) • Focused on building a practical, commercially viable fusion power plant 2 Why develop a new type of power plant? Fuel shares in world total primary energy supply (2015) 80% of the world’s energy still comes from fossil fuels.1 Electricity is the world’s fastest-growing form of end-use energy consumption.2 $480 billion per year is invested in new power plants.3 Sources: 1 IEA Renewables Information Overview 2017, 2 EIA International Energy Outlook 2017, 3 IEA World Energy Outlook 2017 3 Emissions continue to rise… New York Times, Nov 6, 2017: Here’s How Far the World Is From Meeting Its Climate Goals 4 Emissions continue to rise… New York Times, Nov 6, 2017: Here’s How Far the World Is From Meeting Its Climate Goals 5 Electricity demand forecast to increase by 45% by 2040 Source: EIA International Energy Outlook 2017 (IEA WEO 2017 forecasts are similar) 6 Electricity demand forecast to increase by 45% by 2040 Source: EIA International Energy Outlook 2017 (IEA WEO 2017 forecasts are similar) 7 “To meet rising demand, China needs to add the equivalent of today’s United States power system to its electricity infrastructure by 2040.” “India needs to add a power system the size of today’s European Union.” IEA World Energy Outlook 2017 8 Total electricity generation by region 2016-2040 Source: IEA World Energy Outlook 2017 9 Fusion: Zero emission, on-demand electricity that is plentiful and safe Clean: No GHG emissions Safe: Meltdown impossible and no long lived waste Abundant: Fuel derived from sea water, millions of years worth available On-Demand: Able to provide baseload power around the clock Cost-competitive: Effectively zero fuel cost, high density energy 10 How does fusion work? 11 Approaches to fusion Magnetic Magnetized Inertial Confinement Target Fusion Confinement All Confinement Balanced All Compression Plasma confinement using Combination of compression Very fast compression using large magnetic coils and magnetic confinement high power lasers or ion beams Low density: Medium density: Extreme density: ~1014 ions/cm3 ~1020 ions/cm3 ~1026 ions/cm3 Continuous operation Pulsed: ~10 µs Pulsed: <1 ns (ITER) (General Fusion) (NIF) 12 Magnetic confinement fusion Image Credit: Matthias W Hirsch / Wikipedia 14 Magnetic confinement fusion - ITER ITER tokamak under construction (2016) CAD render of the ITER tokamak Image Credit: ITER (all) 15 Magnetic confinement fusion - ITER ITER tokamak under construction (2016) First Plasma ~2025 CAD render of the ITER tokamak Image Credit: ITER (all) 16 Approaches to fusion Magnetic Magnetized Inertial Confinement Target Fusion Confinement All Confinement Balanced All Compression Plasma confinement using Combination of compression Very fast compression using large magnetic coils and magnetic confinement high power lasers or ion beams Low density: Medium density: Extreme density: ~1014 ions/cm3 ~1020 ions/cm3 ~1026 ions/cm3 Continuous operation Pulsed: ~10 µs Pulsed: <1 ns (ITER) (General Fusion) (NIF) 17 Inertial Confinement Fusion National Ignition Facility NIF laser bay NIF fusion target NIF facility layout Image Credit: LLNL / NIF (all) 18 Inertial Confinement Fusion National Ignition Facility NIF laser bay NIF fusion target NIF facility layout Image Credit: LLNL / NIF (all) 19 Approaches to fusion Magnetic Magnetized Inertial Confinement Target Fusion Confinement All Confinement Balanced All Compression Plasma confinement using Combination of compression Very fast compression using large magnetic coils and magnetic confinement high power lasers or ion beams Low density: Medium density: Extreme density: ~1014 ions/cm3 ~1020 ions/cm3 ~1026 ions/cm3 Continuous operation Pulsed: ~10 µs Pulsed: <1 ns (ITER) (General Fusion) (NIF) 20 Fusion Technology Comparison Magnetic Field (Tesla) Normal Super- Max Flux Plasma Energy conductor HTC Max DC Compression Driver Power 1 30 1.00E+3 3.00E+4 1.00E+6 1.00E+11 1.00E+15 NIF ITER GJ TW 1.00E+08 1.00E+12 GF MJ GW 1.00E+05 1.00E+09 of $ Cost Driver $ of $ Cost Confinement kJ MW 1.00E+02 1.00E+06 1.00E+13 1.00E+16 1.00E+19 1.00E+22 1.00E+25 Plasma Density (cm-3) 21 Magnetized Target Fusion 1. Form a compact torus of plasma 2. Confine in conductive chamber 3. Compress and heat to fusion conditions 4. Repeat 22 Introduction to General Fusion • Pursuing Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) approach: liner compression of plasma • Derived from LINUS concept at US Naval Research Laboratories in 1970s • Recognized as a low cost and practical solution to major fusion challenges • Energy conversion • Materials degradation • Fuel production LINUS concept (1976) 23 General Fusion’s Concept 1. Plasma Injection • Spherical Tokamak Target • Formed by Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) • No External Coils • Metal Flux Conserver Only • Can’t run steady state • No energy sustainment • Initial plasma conditions (pre-compression) • Temperature: 400 eV • Density: 2x1020 m-3 • Initial β: 4% 24 General Fusion’s Concept 2. Plasma Compression • Array of Pistons Coupled to Liquid Liner (~10 GW aux heating from compression work) • Array of Pistons Moves the Wall Inward, Compressing Plasma ~10:1 Radially • ~20ms compression time • Cycle Repeats at ~1Hz • Work from the pistons 300 MJ 25 General Fusion’s Concept 2. Plasma Compression • Array of Pistons Coupled to Liquid Liner (~10 GW aux heating from compression work) • Array of Pistons Moves the Wall Inward, Compressing Plasma ~10:1 Radially • ~20ms compression time • Cycle Repeats at ~1Hz • Work from the pistons 300 MJ 26 General Fusion’s Concept 2. Plasma Compression • Array of Pistons Coupled to Liquid Liner (~10 GW aux heating from compression work) • Array of Pistons Moves the Wall Inward, Compressing Plasma ~10:1 Radially • ~20ms compression time • Cycle Repeats at ~1Hz • Work from the pistons 300 MJ 27 General Fusion’s Concept 3. Plasma Compression • Final plasma conditions (post-compression) • Temperature: 20 keV • Density: 2x1023 m-3 • β: 20% • Time at peak compression: 1 ms • DT Yield: 1 GJ Gain: 3.3 • ~80% direct compression energy recovery from rebound • Liquid Metal Liner serves as: • heat capture mechanism • Fuel production (lithium to tritium) • Structural protection 28 MTF removes the traditional barriers to commercial fusion Plasma Materials Energy Conversion Pulsed process eliminates need for Compression of plasma with liquid metal Energy conversion using existing complex and costly: avoids: technology: • Long confinement • Structural materials degradation • Proven liquid metal heat exchanger • Complex plasma heating systems • High-speed laser compression • Conventional steam turbine/generator • Consumable fuel targets • Problem of insufficient tritium creation • Efficient compression drivers (pistons) A uniquely practical solution to the challenges of fusion 29 Component Level Development Plasma Formation Liquid Metal Systems Plasma Compression 30 Consistently advancing towards commercialization 2014 2017E Small Plasma Injector PI3 large injector program achieved fully assembled, World Record operations begin Spheromak Thermal 2010 2011 Confinement (lifetime) Full spherical World’s largest Full scale piston 2017 sub-scale model plasma injector proof of concept SPECTOR small of prototype constructed (PI1) for servo control 2013 2015 injector achieved 5 cavity formation (timing) million ⁰C plasma system 2011 Small Plasma 12th plasma temperature, with constructed Injector program compression test broke Full scale plasma lifetime achieved threshold of 400% piston operated exceeding 2 ms for 1,000,000⁰C improvement in 2010 with liquid the first time plasma performance since start PI1 achieved metal 2012 temperature 2016 plasma density 14 piston of program SPECTOR small goal sphere operated with injector achieved liquid metal 3 million ⁰C cavity plasma temperature with 1.5 ms plasma lifetime 31 Plasma formation World’s biggest and most powerful plasma injectors Plasma Injector 500 eV pre-compression plasma with life-time >2,000 microseconds Developed and operated 18 generations of injectors since 2010 Library of over 150,000 plasma experiments Plasma Performance - Lifetime in Microseconds PI3 Prototype-Scale Plasma Injector 10,000 2,700 Performance Threshold for Fusion Conditions 800 1,400 400 40 100 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Today PI3 32 Small plasma injectors • Built on a reduced scale to reduce iteration time and expense • Allow a variety of geometries and overall safety factor (q) to be explored • 15 small injectors built so far • SPECTOR has achieved 500 eV, lifespan >2,000 μs ~30cm MrT : Magnetic PROSPECTOR SPECTOR SPECTOR in lab with diagnostics Ring Test Spherical Compact Toroid SPECTOR injector 33 Plasma Lifetime Progress General Fusion has created a long-lived plasma that we believe is good enough to compress. Time Compression Tesla Dec 2013 1.5 October 2015 100 µs thermal life Self-heating to >300 eV 1.0 Poloidal Field Poloidal 0.5 0 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 Sept 2012 May 2013 Feb 2014 µs 34 34 Spherical tokamak: 500 eV measured by Thomson Scattering 2017 • 2500 μs lifetimes • 500 eV 35 Large plasma injectors • Injectors built to a similar scale as expected for power plant • Pi1 and Pi2 demonstrated magnetic compression heating
Load more

Recommended publications
  • STATUS of FUSION ENERGY Impact & Opportunity for Alberta Volume II
    STATUS OF FUSION ENERGY Impact & Opportunity for Alberta Volume II Appendices Prepared by Alberta/Canada Fusion Energy Program March 2014 ALBERTA COUNCIL OF TECHNOLOGIES Gratefully acknowledges the support of: Alberta Energy Stantec Corporation University of Alberta Alberta/Canada Fusion Energy Advisory Committee Gary Albach Nathan Armstrong Brian Baudais Will Bridge Robert Fedosejevs Peter Hackett Chris Holly Jerry Keller Brian Kryska Axel Meisen Rob Pitcairn Klaas Rodenburg John Rose Glenn Stowkowy Martin Truksa Gary Woloshyniuk Perry Kinkaide Allan Offenberger A special thank you is extended to the institutions (identified in this report) that were visited and to the many persons who so graciously hosted our site visits, provided the briefing material presented in this status report and thereby assisted our fusion assessment. Report Authors Allan Offenberger Robert Fedosejevs Klaas Rodenburg Perry Kinkaide Contact: Dr. Perry Kinkaide [email protected] 780-990-5874 Dr. Allan Offenberger [email protected] 780-483-1740 i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Acronyms ………………………………………………………………………….. iii List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………… iv Appendix A: Assessment of Major Global Fusion Technologies 1.0 Context - Global Energy Demand……………………………………………………… 1 1.0.1 Foreward ……………………………………………………………………… 1 1.0.2 Energy Trends………………………………………………………………… 2 1.0.3 Energy From Fusion Reactions……………………………………………… 4 1.1 Major Approaches to Fusion Energy………………………………………………….. 7 1.1.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………. 7 1.1.2 Fusion Reactions & the Fuel Cycle………………………………………….. 8 1.1.3 IFE Approaches to Fusion…………………………………………………… 11 1.1.3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………….. 11 1.1.3.2 Indirect Drive…………………………………………………………14 1.1.3.3 Direct Drive…………………………………………………………. 16 1.1.3.4 Fast Ignition………………………………………………………… 17 1.1.3.5 Shock Ignition………………………………………………………..19 1.1.3.6 IFE Power Reactor Systems……………………………………….20 1.1.3.7 Modeling Codes…………………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • Discussion Paper DIS-16-04 Small Modular Reactors: Regulatory
    Discussion Paper DIS-16-04 Small Modular Reactors: Regulatory Strategy, Approaches and Challenges Section 3. Fusion Technologies CNSC would like to know: 1. What are the types and magnitudes of risks and hazards that would be posed by different fusion technologies (conventional and radiation hazards)? 2. With this in mind, how would the risks posed by activities involving fusion reactors differ from current nuclear fission reactors? 3. Should fusion reactors be regulated differently than fission reactors? 1. Risks and hazards posed by different fusion technologies Summary Response Fusion facilities, both research and development stage, and future commercial power producing systems, will have radiation hazards driven by three factors: • Inventory of volatile radioactive substances, primarily tritium • Prompt exposure to neutron or high energy photon flux from a fusion reaction • Radioactivity from decay of materials activated by fusion neutron flux The magnitudes of these radiation hazards will depend on the specific fusion technology and the nature of the system. Large volume magnetic fusion systems, for example, may have higher tritium inventories than pulsed approaches. Similarly, neutron and photon energy flux will depend on the design of blanket and shielding systems that may be technology specific. While total tritium inventory at any one time is unlikely to create a high accidental release risk to the public, total annual tritium throughput in a fusion power plant will be relatively high (a 500 MWt fusion plant will need to produce and consume ~30 kg of tritium per year). The management and containment of tritium flows during regular operation is therefore likely to be the most important area of interest for regulators.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Kit 2015 Fusion Quick Facts
    MEDIA KIT 2015 FUSION QUICK FACTS FUSION IS A GAME CHANGER It has the potential to handle the world’s future energy demands, cleanly, safely and inexpensively. FUSION ENERGY IS CLEAN Fusion will generate no greenhouse gases that produce climate change. Compare that to coal, which sends 1000 kilograms of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for every megawatt hour of electricity produced. Coal is still responsible for supplying 40% of the world’s electricity. FUSION IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK Since the 1970s, progress in fusion energy has been moving at a pace similar to Moore’s Law – which states that computer processing power doubles every two years. Around the world, countries are launching programs to design the first demonstration fusion power plants. THE FUSION FUEL SUPPLY IS UNLIMITED Fusion is powered by deuterium and tritium. Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen found in the oceans, and tritium is made in a fusion power plant from abundant lithium. Deuterium and lithium resources on earth could supply the world with energy for hundreds of millions of years. • Lithium is the earth’s 25th most abundant element. The total lithium content of seawater is very large and is estimated as 230 billion tonnes. Concerns regarding lithium availability for hybrid or electric vehicle batteries or other foreseeable applications are unfounded. FUSION IS NOT YOUR FATHER’S NUCLEAR POWER Compared to nuclear power, fusion is safe: • Fusion power plants cannot melt down. • A fusion plant would produce no long-lived radioactive material; at any given time it would contain only about as much radioactivity as a cancer radiation treatment machine.
    [Show full text]
  • Compact Fusion Reactors
    Compact fusion reactors Tomas Lind´en Helsinki Institute of Physics 26.03.2015 Fusion research is currently to a large extent focused on tokamak (ITER) and inertial confinement (NIF) research. In addition to these large international or national efforts there are private companies performing fusion research using much smaller devices than ITER or NIF. The attempt to achieve fusion energy production through relatively small and compact devices compared to tokamaks decreases the costs and building time of the reactors and this has allowed some private companies to enter the field, like EMC2, General Fusion, Helion Energy, Lockheed Martin and LPP Fusion. Some of these companies are trying to demonstrate net energy production within the next few years. If they are successful their next step is to attempt to commercialize their technology. In this presentation an overview of compact fusion reactor concepts is given. CERN Colloquium 26th of March 2015 Tomas Lind´en (HIP) Compact fusion reactors 26.03.2015 1 / 37 Contents Contents 1 Introduction 2 Funding of fusion research 3 Basics of fusion 4 The Polywell reactor 5 Lockheed Martin CFR 6 Dense plasma focus 7 MTF 8 Other fusion concepts or companies 9 Summary Tomas Lind´en (HIP) Compact fusion reactors 26.03.2015 2 / 37 Introduction Introduction Climate disruption ! ! Pollution ! ! ! Extinctions Ecosystem Transformation Population growth and consumption There is no silver bullet to solve these issues, but energy production is "#$%&'$($#!)*&+%&+,+!*&!! central to many of these issues. -.$&'.$&$&/!0,1.&$'23+! Economically practical fusion power 4$(%!",55*6'!"2+'%1+!$&! could contribute significantly to meet +' '7%!89 !)%&',62! the future increased energy :&(*61.'$*&!(*6!;*<$#2!-.=%6+! production demands in a sustainable way.
    [Show full text]
  • Alberta-Fusion-Workshop-Panel-01
    Fusion Post–ignition Opportunities Alberta Fusion Project 25 October 2013 Early Fusion Skeptics Daily Fuel Requirements – 1000 MW A 1000 MW A 1000 MW Coal-Fired Plant: Fusion Plant: Enough to power ~ 500,000 Enough to power ~ 500,000 homes homes Consumes: Consumes: 9,000 tons of coal (~ 90 rail cars) 1 lb. of deuterium 3 lbs. of lithium-6 (1.5 lbs. of Produces: tritium) 30,000 tons of CO2 Produces: 600 tons of SO2 2 lbs. of helium-4 80 tons of NO 2 0.5 lbs. of neutrons Post Ignition Fusion Plants Plant evolution • Market entry plant (1000 MW) – 10 years • Second plant (1000 MW) – 15 years • Mature plant (1625 MW) – 20-25 years(fleet) Approaches • ITER - magnetic • LIFE – inertial NIF • HiPER – inertial Europe Technologies • Mature – 59% • Analogous systems – 15% • Unique to fusion – 26% Magnetic – ITER / JET ITER Economic Spin-offs • Engineering – civil, mechanical, electrical • Computer modeling • Plasma technology and instrumentation • Power supplies • Coils and magnets • Cryogenic systems • High energy data capture • Vacuum vessels and systems • Advanced materials • Remote handling • Nuclear systems • Neutron beam and microwave systems Source: Culham poster Inertial – NIF / LMJ NIF - LIFE Commercialization of LIFE • 152,200 – 417,400 jobs • $17.7 - $47.7 billion GDP http://www.oxfordeconomics.com/my-oxford/projects/129038 LMJ Economic Spin-offs LMJ Economic Spin-offs LMJ Economic Spin-offs HiPER 4,400 employees • Laser driven neutron sources • Laser sources • High energy physics • Semiconductor lasers • Optical measurements • Photo-multipliers
    [Show full text]
  • The Regulation of Fusion – a Practical and Innovation-Friendly Approach
    The Regulation of Fusion – A Practical and Innovation-Friendly Approach February 2020 Amy C. Roma and Sachin S. Desai AUTHORS Amy C. Roma Sachin S. Desai Partner, Washington, D.C. Senior Associate, Washington, D.C. T +1 202 637 6831 T +1 202 637 3671 [email protected] [email protected] The authors want to sincerely thank the many stakeholders who provided feedback on this paper, and especially William Regan for his invaluable contributions and review of the technical discussion. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 II. THE STATE OF FUSION INNOVATION 3 A) An Introduction to Fusion Energy 3 B) A Rapid Growth in Private-Sector Fusion Innovation 4 III. U.S. REGULATION OF ATOMIC ENERGY - NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL 7 A) The Foundation of U.S. Nuclear Regulation - The Atomic Energy Act and the NRC 7 B) The Atomic Energy Act Embraces Different Regulations for Different Situations 7 1. NRC Frameworks for Different Safety Cases 8 2. Delegation of Regulatory Authority to States 9 IV. THE REGULATION OF FUSION - A PRACTICAL AND INNOVATION- FRIENDLY APPROACH 10 A) Fusion Regulation Comes to the Fore, Raising Key Questions 10 B) A Regulatory Proposal That Recognizes the Safety Case of Fusion and the Needs of Fusion Innovators 11 1. Near-Term: Regulation of Fusion Under the Part 30 Framework is Appropriate Through Development and Demonstration 11 2. Long-Term: The NRC Should Develop an Independent Regulatory Framework for Fusion at Commercial Scale, Not Adopt a Fission Framework 12 V. CONCLUSION 14 1 Hogan Lovells I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fusion, the process that powers the Sun, has long been seen Most fusion technologies are already regulated by the NRC as the “holy grail” of energy production.
    [Show full text]
  • PI3 Plasma Injector Progress
    Recent Progress in the Plasma Injector 3 Spherical Tokamak Program K. Epp, S. Howard, B. Rablah, M. Reynolds, M. Laberge, P. O’Shea, R. Ivanov, W. Young, P. Carle, A. Froese General Fusion Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada 60th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics, Portland, Oregon, October 5-9, 2018 CP11.00192 Introduction Comparison to SPECTOR Parameter Space Plasma Injector 3 Design Diagnostics PI3 Initial Operation Plasma Injector 3 (PI3) is the 3rd in a sequence of reactor-scale Equatorial Diagnostic Plane Fast video imaging of formation (Phantom v12.1) Plasma beta b vs normalized plasma current IN experiments at General Fusion studying the physics and Fast CHI Spherical Tokamak devices Shot engineering needed to produce self-confined plasmas suitable 3616 for use as an MTF target plasma. • PI1 and 2 explored high density (1022 m-3), medium temperature (100 eV), and fast compression (R0/R = 4 , Dt = 30 ms) of a spheromak plasma using a 2-stage coaxial Multi-point TS Inner surface t = 17 us t = 110 us t = 203 us t = 993 us Marshall gun/railgun system. The accelerating railgun SPECTOR B-dot array Formation dynamics can be observed with high-speed color electrodes were conically converging to achieve the 4x radial Optical videography (22 ms exp). Looking back into the gun it shows (left compression to bridge the gap between the densities access Optical to right) breakdown of gas plumes from valves, emergence of ST achievable with Marshall gun formation, and what was access into the chamber, having uniform glow and occasional helical required for the initial state of a proposed MTF compression structure, then decays to a reddish glow dominated by hydrogen.
    [Show full text]
  • Experimental Stellarator Research: Recent Results and Near-Term Plans
    Experimental stellarator research: Recent results and near-term plans Thomas Sunn Pedersen1,2, for the SIMSOPT Team and the W7-X Team, and Eve Stenson1,3,4, for the APEX collaboration, with contributions from HSX and LHD teams 1Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching and Greifswald, Germany 2University of Greifswald, Germany 3University of California, San Diego, USA 4Technical University of Munich, Germany Contents • Magnetic confinement and fusion: • Triple product: A relevant figure of merit – and how we increase it • Stellarators: What are they, and how do they differ from tokamaks • Achievements from world stellarators (acronyms WILL be explained) • HSX, Madison, WI, USA • LHD, Toki, Japan • W7-X, Greifswald, Germany • Outlook: What is on the near-term horizon • EPOS (presented by Eve Stenson) T. Sunn Pedersen Simons Meeting, New York, March 2019 2 Contents • Magnetic confinement and fusion: • Triple product: A relevant figure of merit – and how we increase it • Stellarators: What are they, and how do they differ from tokamaks • Achievements from world stellarators (acronyms WILL Be explained) • HSX, Madison, WI, USA • LHD, Toki, Japan • W7-X, Greifswald, Germany • Outlook: What is on the near-term horizon • EPOS (presented By Eve Stenson) T. Sunn Pedersen Simons Meeting, New York, March 2019 3 Fusion in a nutshell: increase triple product • Magnetic confinement fusion energy: ~T2 • Choose the most reactive process: D+T-> He(3.5 MeV)+n(14.1 MeV) • Heat D-T plasma to 10-30 keV • Use toroidal magnetic confinement: • Parallel transport leads to no heat loss • Perpendicular heat transport across B should be slow • Alpha particle (He) heats plasma • 0-D analysis: A fusion plasma ignites if !" > !$%&& ;<$=&>= 3.5 *+, ×./.0 < 23 > , = 56 ≥ 589:: = ?@ C C k .FGF + .IGI .IGI nB TB > = 2K ?@ ?@ CP RS .IGI?@ ≥ 2K ≈ 4×10 Q K+, T T.
    [Show full text]
  • Compact Fusion Reactors
    Compact fusion reactors Tomas Lind´en Helsinki Institute of Physics NST2016, Helsinki, 3rd of November 2016 Fusion research is currently to a large extent focused on tokamak (ITER) and inertial confinement (NIF) research. In addition to these large international or national efforts there are private companies performing fusion research using alternative concepts, that potentially could result on a faster time scale in smaller and cheaper devices than ITER or NIF. The attempt to achieve fusion energy production through relatively small and compact devices compared to standard tokamaks decreases the costs and building time of the reactors and this has allowed several private companies to enter the field, like EMC2, General Fusion, Helion Energy, LPP Fusion, Lockheed Martin, Tokamak Energy and Tri Alpha Energy. These companies are trying to demonstrate the feasibility of their concept. If that is succesfully done, their next step is to try to demonstrate net energy production and after that to attempt to commercialize their technology. In this presentation a very brief overview of compact fusion reactor research is given. Tomas Lind´en (HIP) Compact fusion reactors 03.11.2016 1 / 24 Contents Contents 1 Fusion conditions 2 Plasma confinement 3 The Polywell reactor 4 Lockheed Martin CFR 5 Dense plasma focus 6 MTF 7 Spherical tokamaks 8 Other fusion concepts 9 Summary Tomas Lind´en (HIP) Compact fusion reactors 03.11.2016 2 / 24 Fusion conditions Fusion conditions See Antti Hakolas presentation in this conference on mainline fusion. A useful fusion performance metric is the triple product NτT (1) that has to execeed some threshold value for the fusion reaction in question for the fusion power to exceed radiation and other losses and maintain a constant plasma temperature.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Fusion? Two Fusion Types
    October 2016 October 2016 WHAT IS FUSION? TWO FUSION TYPES NEUTRONIC ANEUTRONIC TWO FUSION TYPES NEUTRONIC ANEUTRONIC TWO FUSION TYPES NEUTRONIC ANEUTRONIC produces neutrons produces NO neutrons NEUTRONIC FUSION • D+T -> He3 + n Deuterium + Tritium -> Helium-3 + neutron • Some radioactive waste, heat converted to electricity • Government funded, mainly • Far more expensive to build and maintain safely ANEUTRONIC FUSION • p+ B11 -> 3 He4 Hydrogen + Boron11 -> 3Helium-4, no neutrons • NO radioactive waste • direct conversion to electricity, no turbines needed • potentially far cheaper • Privately funded, mainly TWO FUSION TYPES NEUTRONIC ANEUTRONIC • D+T -> He3 + n • p+ B11 -> 3 He4 Deuterium + Tritium -> Hydrogen + Boron11 -> 3Helium-4, no neutrons Helium-3 + neutron • Some radioactive waste, • NO radioactive waste heat converted to • direct conversion to electricity electricity, no turbines • Government funded, needed mainly • potentially far cheaper • Far more expensive to build and maintain safely • Privately funded, mainly ANEUTRONIC FUSION Aneutronic → No neutrons → No Radioactive waste THE INGREDIENTS OF NET FUSION ENERGY TEMPERATURE T CONFINEMENT TIME DENSITY n EFFICIENCY THE INGREDIENTS OF NET FUSION ENERGY TEMPERATURE T CONFINEMENT TIME DENSITY n EFFICIENCY THE INGREDIENTS OF NET FUSION ENERGY TEMPERATURE T CONFINEMENT TIME DENSITY n EFFICIENCY THE INGREDIENTS OF NET FUSION ENERGY TEMPERATURE T CONFINEMENT TIME DENSITY n EFFICIENCY THE INGREDIENTS OF NET FUSION ENERGY TEMPERATURE T CONFINEMENT TIME DENSITY n EFFICIENCY FUSION
    [Show full text]
  • The Fork in the Road to Electric Power from Fusion General Fusion, Inc
    The Fork in the Road to Electric Power From Fusion General Fusion, Inc. Peter Lobner, 1 February 2021 General Fusion, Inc. was founded in 2002 in Vancouver, Canada by Michael Laberge. The firm is focusing on the development of a fusion power reactor based on magnetized target fusion (MTF) in a spherical, liquid metal liner implosion machine known as a “stabilized liner compressor” (SLC). Their website is here: https://generalfusion.com The General Fusion SLC reactor is comprised of a spherical reactor vessel, a magnetized target plasma injector known as a Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) Marshall gun, and an array of piston drivers on the outer surface of the vessel to mechanically compress and heat the target plasma to conditions needed for fusion. A key to this approach is that plasma lifetime must be long enough to allow for mechanical compression (several milliseconds). This factor led to General Fusion’s initial choice of spherical tokamak targets over field reversed configuration (FRC) and spheromak targets (tested on PI-1 and PI-2), which would have needed faster compression. General Fusion integrated large-scale prototype concept drawing. Source: adapted from General Fusion 1 The Fork in the Road to Electric Power From Fusion Inside the vessel, a rotating layer of flowing liquid metal forms the “stabilized liner” that establishes an evacuated cavity (a vortex cavity) along the centerline of the plasma compression chamber. The flowing liquid metal also serves as a “first wall” neutron blanket / radiation shield, a tritium breeding medium and a heat transfer medium. Details on how the vortex cavity is established inside the reactor vessel are provided in Patent CA2969934A1.
    [Show full text]
  • This Machine Might * Save the World *That’S a Big, Fat “MIGHT”
    THE FUTURE OF ENERGY THIS MACHINE MIGHT * SAVE THE WORLD *THAt’s a big, fAt “MIGHT” TWO DESKTOP-PRINTER ENGINEERS QUIT THEIR JOBS TO SEARCH FOR THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF ENDLESS ENERGY: NUCLEAR FUSION. COULD THIS HIGHLY IMPROBABLE ENTERPRISE ACTUALLY SUCCEED? BY JOSH DEAN PHOTOGRAPHS by JOHN B. CARNETT THE SOURCE OF endless energy for bisected by two long cylinders. It’s big but not all humankind resides just off Government immense—maybe 10 times as tall as the little Street in Burnaby, British Columbia, up the robot man in the lower right corner of the little spit of blacktop on Bonneville Place page who’s there to indicate scale. and across the parking lot from Shade-O- What Laberge has set out to build in Matic blind manufacturers and wholesalers. this office park, using $2 million in private The future is there, in that mostly empty funding and a skeletal workforce, is a office with the vomit-green walls—and nuclear-fusion power plant. The idea seems inside the brain of Michel Laberge, 47, nuts but is actually, he says, not at all far- bearded and French-Canadian. fetched. Yes, he’ll admit, fusion is generally According to a diagram, printed on a considered the kind of nearly impossible single sheet of white paper and affixed with challenge undertaken only by huge HOME-BREWED FUSION General tape to a dusty slab of office drywall, his vision universities or governments. Yes, fusion has Fusion’s proof-of-concept device in looks like a medieval torture device: a metal a stigma to overcome; the image that it is the company’s austere headquarters, ball surrounded on all sides by metal rods and fundamentally bogus, always and forever in Burnaby, British Columbia 64 popULAR sciENCE JANUARY 2009 POPSCI.COM POPULAR SCIENCE 65 THE FUTURE OF ENERGY 20 years away, certainly doesn’t help.
    [Show full text]