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

Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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!