Fusion Energy, an abundant energy:
promises, progress, and challenges.
Dr. Remi Delaporte-Mathurin
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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1500 km
5500 km
1200 km
1200 km
Paris, France
Madison, WI
Charlotte, NC
In less than 10 days!
Boston, MA
half a day
7 hours
Source: itiner-e.org
Paris to Chantilly in the Roman Empire?
With ~8 to 10 billion humans on Planet Earth, we need a source of energy that is:
- Abundant
- Clean
- Safe
We, humans, are hungry for more!
The difference?
Introuction - Remi Delaporte-Mathurin
- 2022-today: Research Scientist and Group Leader at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, MIT
-
2018-2019: Ph.D. French Atomic Energy Authority (CEA Cadarache) and University Sorbonne Paris Nord
-
2017: CEA Cadarache, IRFM
- 2016: UK Atomic Energy Authority
- 2012-2018: M.Sc. Thermal Engineering and Energy Sciences
Joint European Torus (JET), Culham, UK
Part I: What is fusion?
“I’d put my money on the Sun. What a source of power!”
Thomas Edison, 1931
Every second:
→ Fuses 500 Mt of hydrogen into helium
→ Produces a million times the world’s energy consumption
Can we reproduce this on Earth?
Nuclear Fission
x1 million
Nuclear Fusion
x5 million
x2 Enabled the industrial revolution
How much energy is contained in 1 kg of "stuff"
E = \Delta m \ c^2
"mass defect"
speed of light
energy
c = 299 \ 792 \ 458 \ \mathrm{m/s}
c^2 = 89 \ 875 \ 517 \ 873 \ 681 \ 760 \ \mathrm{m^2/s^2}
Quizz!
Splitting a uranium nucleus
Fusing hydrogen nuclei
Stars are the element factories of the universe!
💡Fun fact: We are all made of star dust!
How do we do this on Earth?
Deuterium
Tritium
Neutron
Helium
- Abundant
- Clean
- Safe
What's the catch?
To climb the ramp, you need enough speed
= a high enough temperature
+
+
The triple product
n \times T \times \tau
Table Tennis Balls allegory!
particle density
temperature
confinement time
What's the hottest place in the solar system?
Quizz!
How do we contain a 100 million degrees gas?
plasma
Altator plasma device
Particles will drift!
Image: EUROfusion
toroidal'naya
kamera
magnitnymi
katushkami
Q = \frac{\mathrm{power \ from \ fusion}}{\mathrm{injected \ heating}}
PART II — PROGRESS, CHALLENGES, AND THE FUTURE
Tokamak
Stellarator
Field Reverse Configuration
Record energy gain for magnetic fusion by JET in 1997:
\( Q = 0.7 \)
Bigger reactors = more fusion
Q \propto R^{1.3} \ B^3
Size
Magnetic
Field
Goal: demonstrate \( Q = 10 \)
No electricity!
Fusion 30 years away?
Source: EUROfusion
Startups have joined the race
1 million dollar question:
When is fusion happening?
Remaining challenges
-
radiation-resistant materials
-
component lifetime
-
regulatory frameworks
-
economic viability at scale
-
fuel self-sufficiency
My research focus!
Fusion reaction
Deuterium
Tritium
Neutron
Helium
Can be found in sea water!
Radioactive, doesn't exist in nature
Half-life: 12 years
\mathrm{T} \rightarrow \mathrm{He} + \mathrm{e}^-
☢
Consumption of a 1 GWth fusion reactor (1 year)
50 kg
The breeding blanket
\mathrm{n} + ^6\mathrm{Li} \rightarrow \mathrm{T} + \mathrm{He} + 4.8 \ \mathrm{MeV}
\mathrm{n} + ^7\mathrm{Li} \rightarrow \mathrm{T} + \mathrm{He} + \mathrm{n} - 2.5 \ \mathrm{MeV}
\mathrm{TBR} = \mathrm{\frac{tritium \ produced}{tritium \ consumed}} > 1
\mathrm{D} + \mathrm{T} \rightarrow \mathrm{He} + \mathrm{n}
Fusion is happening now!
Fusion Chantilly
By Remi Delaporte-Mathurin
