Not Quite Yet, but in the Journal “Physics of Plasmas,” Researchers from National Ignition Facility Show Just How Close We’ve Come
The dream of igniting a self-sustained fusion reaction with high yields of energy, a feat likened to creating a miniature star on Earth, is getting closer to becoming reality, according the authors of a new review article in the journal Physics of Plasmas.
Researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) engaged in a collaborative project led by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, report that while there is at least one significant obstacle to overcome before achieving the highly stable, precisely directed implosion required for ignition, they have met many of the demanding challenges leading up to that goal since experiments began in 2010.
The project is a multi-institutional effort including partners from the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics, General Atomics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
To reach ignition (defined as the point at which the fusion reaction produces more energy than is needed to initiate it), the NIF focuses 192 laser beams simultaneously in billionth-of-a-second pulses inside a cryogenically cooled hohlraum (from the German word for “hollow room”), a hollow cylinder the size of a pencil eraser. Within the hohlraum is a ball-bearing-size capsule containing two hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium (D-T). The unified lasers deliver 1.8 megajoules of energy and 500 terawatts of power—1,000 times more than the United States uses at any one moment—to the hohlraum creating an “X-ray oven” which implodes the D-T capsule to temperatures and pressures similar to those found at the center of the sun.
“What we want to do is use the X-rays to blast away the outer layer of the capsule in a very controlled manner, so that the D-T pellet is compressed to just the right conditions to initiate the fusion reaction,” explained John Edwards, NIF associate director for inertial confinement fusion and high-energy-density science. “In our new review article, we report that the NIF has met many of the requirements believed necessary to achieve ignition—sufficient X-ray intensity in the hohlraum, accurate energy delivery to the target and desired levels of compression—but that at least one major hurdle remains to be overcome, the premature breaking apart of the capsule.”
The Latest Bing News on:
Fusion energy
- Fusion Fuel Green Receives Notice from Nasdaq Regarding Company’s Shareholders’ Equityon May 15, 2024 at 4:59 am
About Fusion Fuel Green plc Fusion Fuel is an emerging leader in the green hydrogen sector committed to accelerating the energy transition through the development of disruptive, clean hydrogen solutions. Fusion Fuel’s patented miniaturized Proton ...
- Fusion record paves way for commercial reactorson May 14, 2024 at 1:12 am
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) hits a new fusion reactor endurance record that could open the door to practical fusion power on a commercial scale. Using a tungsten lining, the WEST reactor held a reaction for six minutes.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Fusion energy
[google_news title=”” keyword=”fusion energy” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Fusion power
- Fusion Micro Finance secures USD 25 million loan from U.S. International Development Finance Corporationon May 17, 2024 at 8:51 pm
MFI, has entered into a loan agreement with the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in Delhi, India.
- Dragon Ball: Goku and Vegeta's Strongest Possible Fusion, Explainedon May 17, 2024 at 11:30 am
With the main characters of Dragon Ball achieving their most powerful forms, what could a fusion of these forms look like?
- UKAEA awards funding for fusion projectson May 16, 2024 at 2:42 am
The contracts will develop next-generation digital tools for future fusion power plant designs, and advanced production and handling of hydrogen isotopes. Tim Bestwick, UKAEA’s Chief Development ...
- AI-Powered Fusion: The Key to Limitless Clean Energyon May 15, 2024 at 4:51 am
Researchers at PPPL are exploring the use of machine learning to enhance the design and operation of stellarators and tokamaks. The intricate dance of atoms fusing and releasing energy has fascinated ...
- Using artificial intelligence to speed up and improve the most computationally-intensive aspects of plasma physics in fusionon May 14, 2024 at 7:46 pm
Researchers are using artificial intelligence to perfect the design of the vessels surrounding the super-hot plasma, optimize heating methods and maintain stable control of the reaction for ...
- Fusion record paves way for commercial reactorson May 14, 2024 at 1:12 am
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) hits a new fusion reactor endurance record that could open the door to practical fusion power on a commercial scale. Using a tungsten lining, the WEST ...
- Turning the promise of fusion into realityon May 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm
As a leader in fusion research, UT is expanding its capabilities to address the most pressing challenges to fusion technology feasibility.
- National Fusion Facility Completes Upgradeon May 8, 2024 at 8:01 am
Enhancements will enable research into the physics of advanced fusion reactors and accelerate the drive to commercial fusion energy. The DIII-D National ...
- An 'artificial sun' achieved a record-breaking fusion experiment, bringing us closer to clean, limitless energyon May 6, 2024 at 4:26 pm
WEST, a fusion reactor in France, broke a record for tungsten tokamaks with a 6-minute plasma. It's an important step toward clean, limitless energy.
- Private Investment Fuels Race For Nuclear Fusion Power In USon May 5, 2024 at 10:07 pm
Spurred on by major technological advances and huge private investment, the United States' nuclear fusion sector could be producing electricity within ten years, industry players say.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Fusion power
[google_news title=”” keyword=”fusion power” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]