Part 1 of 2 Parts
In the quest to harness nuclear fusion as a nearly limitless and clean energy source, researchers have turned to mayonnaise. This household condiment is assisting scientists at Lehigh University to understand complex fluid dynamics that take place during fusion reactions. Their research will potentially pave the way for more efficient fusion processes.
Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the sun. If it can be achieved on Earth it could change the world’s energy landscape forever. Creating nuclear fusion on Earth, however, involves replicating the sun’s extreme conditions, a task that remains extremely challenging.
In late 2022, scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California announced a landmark achievement in nuclear fusion. For the first time, they were able to extracted more energy from a controlled fusion reaction than was used to initiate it. On October 30, 2023, the NIF set a new record for generating laser energy. For the first time, they fired two and two tenths megajoules of energy at an ignition target, resulting in three and four tenths megajoules of fusion energy yield.
The announcement of the NIF breakthrough led to a familiar divide in opinion. Fusion proponents celebrated it as a sign that the long-awaited fusion era might be nearing. Skeptics remained unconvinced, pointing out that fusion has been “20 years away” for decades. This tension indicates the high stakes involved.
(Helion Energy is an aneutronic fusion startup in Redmond, Washington. They are hoping to provide fusion energy to Microsoft in 2028, much sooner than thirty years in the future.)
The world is in desperate need of a clean, abundant energy source to take the place of fossil fuels and mitigate the climate crisis. Fusion occurs when light atomic nuclei merges and release energy. It has always been this sort of white whale. However, after decades of research, it is still not clear when or if fusion will be a significant contributor to our energy mix.
Most estimations suggest that practical fusion energy might not be realized until around 2050. Unfortunately, this timeline means that fusion energy is unlikely to play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions by mid-century. This is a crucial period for addressing global warming.
The challenges of harnessing fusion are huge. The fusion process involves creating and maintaining conditions similar to those inside stars where temperatures reach one hundred million degrees Kelvin. This requires using powerful magnetic fields to confine a plasma of hydrogen isotopes, deuterium, and tritium. This task has proven extremely difficult. In addition, reactors must withstand the intense neutron bombardment generated during the fusion reactions, which degrades materials over time.
There are multiple designs for fusion reactors currently in development. The most promising designs are inertial confinement fusion and magnetic confinement fusion. The former is what the is used INF. It is an approach where scientists use powerful lasers or ion beams to compress a tiny pellet of fuel until the conditions for fusion are met. The target is typically a mix of deuterium and tritium hydrogen isotopes.
Please read Part 2 next