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tahanson43206

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Registered: 2018-04-27

Posts: 19,440

Magnetic Confinement Fusion

This topic is offered for those members who would like to focus on Magnetic Confinement Fusion as a specific discipline.

The topic follows on a suggestion by Calliban, in one of the profusion of general fusion topics present in this forum.

Magnetic Confinement Fusion has received significant investment over (by now) many decades, and has yet to achieve technical(energy) break even, and it may never achieve it, if a recent post by Calliban is predictive.

The Gold Standard for Fusion is Gravity Confinement Fusion.

Solar level mass is observed to be a component of a successful Gravity Confinement Fusion device.

A future human civilization might well be able to ignite Gravity Confinement Fusion devices.

This topic is dedicated to posts specifically about the many attempts underway around the Earth, to create a magnetic confinement fusion device that achieves economic break even.

In another topic, Calliban has provided guidelines for what is required.

A copy of the relevant post would be welcome in this topic.

(th)

tahanson43206

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Registered: 2018-04-27

Posts: 19,440

Re: Magnetic Confinement Fusion

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/mit- … 00449.html

Popular Mechanics

MIT Is Joining Forces With a Bill Gates-Backed Startup to Bring Fusion to the Masses

Caroline Delbert

Mon, June 6, 2022, 11:22 AM
Photo credit: Credit: T. Henderson, CFS/MIT-PSFC, 2020

A tokamak designed at MIT works by using proprietary superconducting magnets.

Students will continue to refine the tokamak by working with Commonwealth Fusion System.

There are still many questions to answer about how the tokamak will succeed—like how to build a reactor that can handle extreme heat.

An MIT spinoff partly funded by Bill Gates signed a new agreement last month to continue its nuclear fusion research for at least the next five years in a bid to make commercial nuclear fusion a reality.

The Commonwealth Fusion System (CFS), named for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, will continue its established collaboration with MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), a research lab devoted to the study of plasmas, fusion science, and technology. This type of partnership style is pretty common in cutting-edge scientific research where there are patents and proprietary technologies at play.

CFS and MIT have collaborated for years on research surrounding a superconducting magnet they believe will make it possible to reach the ignition threshold for nuclear fusion energy. Last September, the partnership achieved the most powerful high-temperature magnetic field ever created on Earth, using the high-temperature superconducting electromagnet to create a field strength of 20 teslas.

The magnets go into a device called a tokamak, which is a space-age reactor that uses an astonishing amount of energy in an effort to produce at least slightly more energy than the machine consumes. A tokamak is a donut-shaped or spherical reactor in which a stream of plasma is swirled. The plasma is far too hot for a traditional material to contain, so a powerful magnetic field holds it in place. This is where CFS’s superconducting magnets come in, because electromagnets use a lot of power in tokamak designs. A superconducting magnet is one that operates without any resistance, which could cut down on the amount of power required to hold the magnetic field together.

There’s still a high energy cost, though, because the magnets must be cooled to extremely low temperatures in order to operate. This helps to explain why, despite efforts around the world on a variety of scales, nuclear fusion has yet to generate more energy than it requires to power these complex tokamak machines. All nuclear fusion technologies rely on some kind of extreme in temperature, in pressure, or in speed, matching the conditions in which fusion naturally occurs in outer space.

Companies like CFS are often started at research institutions or even government laboratories; that’s because these lab like to focus on developing new ideas and giving researchers something to study firsthand. Startup companies that aren’t in the business of conducting scholarly research typically end up handling the nitty gritty of turning those cutting-edge ideas into, for example, commercial power plants.

Photo credit: Gretchen Ertl, CFS/MIT-PSFC, 2021

In this case, the partnership is a bit of both, with MIT supplying a steady stream of graduate students and postdocs who want to work on the continuing refinement of CFS’s tokamak technology. “CFS will build [the tokamak] SPARC and develop a commercial fusion product, while MIT PSFC will focus on its core mission of cutting-edge research and education,” PSFC director Dennis Whyte says in a statement. Whyte is a nuclear physicist whose work at MIT is the basis for SPARC.

While the kernel of that work is established—the fusion reaction, the idea of the tokamak, and CFS’s superconducting magnets—much of the logistics remains to be worked out, like how to build a commercial reactor whose materials will be able to transfer the extreme heat.

(th)

tahanson43206

Moderator

Registered: 2018-04-27

Posts: 19,440

Re: Magnetic Confinement Fusion

https://commission.europa.eu/news/europ … 8-04-13_en

The article at the link above reports on the status of ITER in early 2023.

European Commission logo
EN
English
Europe’s investment in the ITER fusion project: mastering the power of the sun and the stars

NEWS ARTICLE13 April 2018BrusselsDirectorate-General for Energy

Europe’s investment in the ITER fusion project: mastering the power of the sun and the stars
ener_iter_f4e.jpg

The EU is a strong advocate for sustainability. For years it has been taking action to cut down the emission of greenhouse gases, fighting climate change and trying to make Europe more self- sufficient in the field of energy, given the fact that its import dependency is particularly high for crude oil (90%) and natural gas (69%). Half of the energy we consume is imported at a cost of 1 billion EUR per day. So how can we reconcile our potential to grow without putting at risk our planet’s well-being?

The answer lies in the energy mix of the future. And fusion can be part of it. The power of the sun and stars has several merits worth considering. Its fuel- isotopes of hydrogen- is abundant and with just small amounts we can release a lot of energy. Hydrogen the size of a pineapple can offer as much fusion energy as 10 000 tonnes of coal. The fusion reaction is inherently safe and poses no risk of a meltdown. There are no greenhouse gases and no long-lasting waste for the future generations. For this reason, the EU has invested in ITER, the biggest scientific collaboration that will test the feasibility of fusion power.

ITER brings together the countries of EURATOM (EU-28 plus Switzerland), China, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the US. The Parties represent 80% of the global GDP and half of the world’s population. Scientists all over the world are involved in R&D activities linked to the project and companies are manufacturing millions of components that will be assembled in Cadarache, south of France, where the project is located.

Europe, being the host of the biggest fusion experiment, is financing nearly half of it. Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU body which was set up ten years ago to manage the European contribution to ITER, counts with approximately 450 members of staff working in Barcelona (Spain), Cadarache (France) and Garching (Germany). Since its establishment, F4E has invested in Europe’s economy 4 billion EUR by awarding more than 900 contracts to 440 companies, research organisations, and to 1500 of their subcontractors, working for the ITER project. Its impact in making Europe more competitive can be widely felt in the socio-economic fabric of our continent.  Think of the creation of new jobs and skills, partnerships between big and smaller companies, and the transfer of know-how to develop new applications which could enter into new markets. To find out more about Europe’s business potential in ITER and to read the views of some of our contractors click here.

In December 2017, ITER celebrated an important milestone having reached 50% completion of the total construction work needed for the first operation stage – so called First Plasma. The progress on the ITER construction site, which consists of 39 buildings and infrastructures under Europe’s responsibility, has been impressive. Nearly 2000 people are working daily on a platform that is nearly 42 hectares. Click here to fly over the site and become familiar with the works carried out. The main building (Tokamak Complex) where the ITER machine will be installed is reaching its final level (fourth floor), and the progress of various auxiliary buildings such as the Cryoplant, which will generate the cold temperatures needed, and the Magnets Power Coversion building, which will energise the powerful magnets that will confine the super-hot plasma, are advancing. More equipment has started arriving on-site. For example, the first tooling has been delivered to the Assembly Hall, and the first Cryoplant tank has been installed.

In terms of manufacturing, Europe has celebrated a fair share of achievements.  In the Spring of 2017, the most high-tech magnet in history was unveiled before going through the final stages of production. ITER will require powerful magnets to confine the hot plasma and control its shape and stability. Europe will have to deliver ten Toroidal Field coils and five Poloidal field coils. Works have also been advancing with the production of the vacuum vessel, the “metallic shell” which will host the fusion reaction. Europe is responsible for the fabrication of five sectors entrusted to a consortium of companies. Last but not least, in collaboration with the ITER Organization and Consortium RFX, F4E has invested in a Neutral Beam Test Facility to develop powerful heating systems that will eventually be used to raise the temperature of ITER’s plasma. The most powerful negative ion beam source to date has already been installed in its vacuum vessel and first operations are expected to start in summer.

ITER can be described as a big technology puzzle which will push forward our knowledge frontiers. It will give us the answer regarding the feasibility of fusion energy, its cost and financial return. Ultimately, however, it will help policy-makers take an informed decision on the energy scenarios of the future. Europe’s commitment to see this project through offers our industry and scientific community an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate its strength, to grow and to learn how to deliver the energy of the future. The challenges we currently face require the broadest possible energy alliance to guarantee our citizens access to safe, sufficient and sustainable power supply. Let’s work together to deliver it!

To keep up to date with the progress of Europe’s contribution to ITER subscribe to F4E News and visit regularly F4E’s website.

Council conclusions on ITER of April 12th 2018

Details
Publication date
13 April 2018
Author
Directorate-General for Energy
Location
Brussels

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