technology from fusion research - benefits today
DESCRIPTION
American Security Project (ASP) released its latest report titled “Technology from Fusion Research: Benefits Today,” which highlights significant technological advances that have resulted from fusion energy research. The report, written by ASP Senior Fellow for Climate and Energy Andrew Holland, explains the key technological benefits and societal applications that have resulted from research on harnessing the vast energy potential of nuclear fusion—the same process that powers the sun.TRANSCRIPT
Pers
Pective
s Technology from Fusion Research: Benefits Today
Andrew Holland September 7, 2011
This is part of an ongoing series by the American Security Project on fusion power.
In Brief:
• Majortechnologicaladvanceshavedevelopedoutoffusionresearchthathaveapplica-tionsacrossAmericansociety.
• Keysectorsthathavebenefittedfromtechnologicalspin-offsfromfusionresearchinclude:medicine,manufacturing,electricitytransmission,environmentalcleanup,andnationalsecurity.
• Weknowfusionworks.Fusionistakingplaceinlaboratoriesallovertheworld,includ-ingintheUnitedStates.Commercialfusionenergyplantswoulduserelativelytinyamountsoffueltogeneratemillionsofwattsofelectricalpower.
Nuclearfusionisthepowerofthesun.Whenhydrogeniscompressedandheated,itsatomswillfusetogethertoformaheavierelement,helium.Thisreactionreleasesthehugeamountofenergystoredinthenucleus.
Ifharnessedbyhumanity,fusionpromisesnearlyunlimitedenergy,withoutpollution.Onepoundofhydrogenfusionfueliscapableofyieldingasmuchenergyasiscontainedin10millionpoundsofcoal.
However,afusionreactionwillonlytakeplaceatextremelyhightemperatureandpressure:about100milliondegreesand1000timesnormalsoliddensities.Inthesun,gravityisusedtoconfinehydrogenatthedensitynecessaryforfusion.Inathermonuclearweapon,anuclearfissionexplosioncreatesthetemperaturesanddensitiesnecessaryforfusion.Unfortunately,neitherthegravityofthesunnortheforcesofanuclearweaponarereplicableonearthinthecontrolledmannernecessaryforenergygeneration.Therearetwopracticalwaysbeingcloselystudiedtodaytocontainthepressureandtemperaturenecessarytoharvestenergyfromfusion;lasers
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Andrew Holland is a Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate at the American Security Project where he focuses on energy security, climate change, and infrastructure policy.
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canbeusedtoigniteandconfinethefuelormagnetscanbeusedtoconfineplasmathatisheatedbyanelectriccurrent.Theissueisthatthesemagnetsandlasersrequiremoreenergytocontaintheextremeheatandpressureofafusionreactionthanhasyetbeensuccessfullygainedfromanyexperimentalfusionreactions.Thefirstman-madenuclearfusionreactionshappenedontheEniwetokAtollin1951and1952duringtestingofthehydrogenbomb.Sincethisdemonstration,theUnitedStatesgovernmenthasfundedbasicresearchintohowtoharnessthepoweroffusionforpeacefulenergyproduction.Overthese57years,theU.S.governmenthasappropriatedatotalofapproximately$36.4billioninresearchfunding(ininflation-adjusted2010dollars);anaverageof$639millionperyear.1Thefundingissplitintotwotracks:theMagneticFusionEnergy(MFE)program–whichfocusesonusingsuperconductingmagnetstocontaintheplasma–andtheInertialConfinementFusion(ICF)program–whichuseslasers.Thepeakyearforfusionfundingwas1982,whentheU.S.spent$1.3billion.In2010,theU.S.governmentappropriated$884millionforfusionfunding(allnumbersare2010dollars).
Thebenefitsofover57yearsoffusionresearcharenotsimplydeferredtothefuturewhenfusionpowerwillbecommerciallyavailable.OthertechnologieshavedevelopedoutoffusionresearchthathaveimportantapplicationsacrossAmericansociety.Becauseoftheveryhighrequirementsofconfiningfusion,manyofthetechnologicaldevelopmentsweenjoybecauseofthefusionprogramareinlaserormagnettechnology.
Sectorsthathavebenefittedfromtechnologicalspin-offsfromfusionresearchincludemedicine,manufacturing,electricitytransmission,environmentalcleanup,andevennationalsecurity.Someofthebenefitsweseeeveryday,somearehidden,andstillothershavenotyetachievedtheirpromise.Eventhoughfusionreactionshavenotyetpoweredsomuchasalightbulb,theimpactofdecadesoffusionresearchisapparentacrosstheAmericaneconomy.
Impacts on Medicine
Modernmedicinehasbenefittedfromtheadvancesinmagnetsandlasersthatfusionresearchhasgenerated.Advancesinmagnettechnologyhavemadeidentifyingandtreatingtumorseasier,andadvancesinlasertechnologyhavecreatedabetterwaytocutthroughskinandtissue.
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Oneofthemostrevolutionarytoolsinmodernmedicineisthemagneticresonanceimaging(MRI)machine.MRIsutilizepowerfulmagnetsandharmless(non-ionizing)radiationtocreateanimageofatargetedareawithinthebody.Fromtheirfirstusein1973,MRIshavebecomeacommontoolfordoctorstoidentifytumorsorinjuriesthatearliercouldhaverequiredinvasivesurgery.FusionresearchdrovetheadvancesinlargeboresuperconductingmagnetsthatmadetheinventionofMRIspossible.
Protonradiotherapyisatypeofradiationtherapyforcanceroustumorsthatallowsdoctorstotargetonlythetumor.TraditionalradiationtherapyusesX-rayradiationthatcandamagethesurrounding,healthytissue.Protontherapycanmorespecificallytargetthetumor.However,protontherapyrequiresalargecyclotrontoisolateandaccelerateprotonsintoabeam.Duetotheirsize–about1000tons–andcapitalcost–roughly$100to$150million–thereareonly37protontherapycentersintheworld.2However,advancesinsuperconductingcoilsformagneticfusionexperimentsatMIT’sPlasmaScienceandFusionCentermayallowforthecreationofasmaller,lessexpensive“compactsynchrocyclotron”thatwillallowmanymorehospitalstoofferprotontherapy.3
Lasersarealsousefulinmodernmedicine.The‘Ultra-ShortPulseLaser’wasdevelopedinthe1990saspartoftheInertialConfinementFusionprogramatLawrenceLivermoreNationalLaboratory.Itutilizespulsesofenergythatlastforjust50to1,000femtoseconds(quadrillionthsofasecond).Thesepulsesofenergyarenotlongenoughtodolastingdamagetosurroundingtissue.Theselasershavebeenveryeffectiveindelicatesurgeries,suchaslasereyesurgeryortonsillectomies.
Impacts on Manufacturing
Thehighpressureandheatresultingfromtheplasmanecessaryforafusionreactionhaveplacedademandingrequirementformaterialscapableofwithstandingsuchextremes.Someareasofafusionreactorthatfaceplasmawillhavewithstandheatofmorethan2000°C.Veryfewmaterialscanwithstandthisheatandmaintaintheirstructuralintegrity.
However,thecombinationoftwomaterials—carbonfibercompositecoatedwithtungsten—hasprovedtobeabletowithstandtheheat.Thedevelopmentofnewmaterialslikethishasimportantspin-offeffectsonothermanufacturingprocessesthatneedtowithstandhighheat.
Carbonfibercompositeisincreasinglybeingusedasamaterialinairlineengines.Carbonfibertechnologyoriginallydevelopedfortheplasma-facingtilesinsideareactorisnowbeingusedforhighperformancebrakesinmostairplanes.
Inadditiontoalternativeusesforthematerialsusedtobuildareactor,technologythatwasdevelopedtoheatplasma,called“ionsourcetechnology,”hasbeenadaptedtohardenmaterialsortomicroscopicallysculptsurfaces.Ionbeamssculptthesurfaceofamaterialatthemolecularlevel.Thistechnologyisnowusedtoimprovetitaniumhipimplants,toimprovethelensesoflasers,andeventomanufactureconsumereyewear.
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Impacts on Electricity Transmission
The“smartgrid”isatermforhowtomoveandintegratefluctuatingrenewableenergygenerationintoanexistingelectricitygrid.Asmartgridadaptstofluctuationsinelectricitygenerationbymovingelectricityoverlongdistancesandstoringexcesscapacity.Manyoftheapplicationsthatwillmakeasmartgridpossiblecomefromadvancesgeneratedbyfusionresearch.
High-temperaturesuperconducting(HTS)wiresarebeingdevelopedjointlybyOakRidgeNationalLaboratoryandprivateindustryoutoftechnologyoriginallydevelopedbytheAppliedSuperconductivityGroup,apartoftheDepartmentofEnergy’sFusionEnergydivision.HTSwirescanconductfivetimestheelectricitywithhalfthetransmissionlosscomparedtotraditionalcoppercable.Thesewireswillallowpowercompaniestocreatethe“electricitysuperhighways”alongwhichthesmartgridwilldistributeelectricitytowhereitismostneeded.
Energystorageisaproblemforfusionreactors.Areactorcanrequireapulseofenergyupwardsof50megawattsforlessthanonesecondofplasmadischarge.Thisisoftentoomuchforalocalpowergridtohandle.Thatmeansthatthereactorhastodevelopawaytostoreenergyinpreparationforthatpulseofelectricity.Massivenewflywheelmachinesarebeingdevelopedtosupplyfusionreactors,somewitharotatingmassexceeding30tons.Theycanstoreenergyovertime,tobereleasedwhenneeded.
Energystorageisakeypartofmakinganyelectricitygrid“smart”aswell.Ifwindandsolarpoweraregoingtobealargepartofelectricitygeneration,itwillbeimportanttobuildupreservesforwhenitisneithersunnynorwindy.Byaddressingtheproblemofhowtopowerfusionreactors,emergingflywheeltechnologywillhelpwithasmartgrid.
Nuclear Security
Inthe1990s,scientistsatthePrincetonPlasmaPhysicsLaboratory(PPPL)neededawaytodeterminetheamountandtypeofresidualradioactiveelementsthatremainedinsideadecommissionedfusionreactor.Theydevelopedadevicethatcouldbeloweredintothereactorandcouldidentifyeachofthetypesofradiationontheinsideofthereactor.
Inlate2001,aftertheSeptember11attacks,theUnitedStatesgovernmentissuedacallforproposalsforaportabledevicethatwouldbeabletodetectradioactivematerials.Itisimportanttobeabletodetectradiationbecauseterroristscouldtrytodetonateeitheranuclearweaponora‘dirtybomb’(aconventionalbombthatspreadsradioactivematerial)insidetheUnitedStates.ThescientistsatPPPLhavesinceadaptedtheirdevicesothatitcanbeusedaroundthecountry.Itisnowcalledthe“MiniatureIntegratedNuclearDetectionSystem”(MINDS).MINDSunitshavebeendeployedtoportsandareasofcriticalinfrastructurearoundtheUnitedStates.
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Conclusion
Overfifty-sevenyearsago,scientistsworkingfortheAmericanmilitarycompletedtheirmissiontoharnessthepowerofnuclearfusionfornuclearweapons.Sincethen,theAmericangovernment,alongwithgovernmentsaroundtheworld,hasbeenfundingresearchtoutilizethealmostunlimitedpotentialenergythatfusioncouldprovideforcivilianenergygeneration.Thisisavasttechnologicalandengineeringchallengeanditremainsincomplete.However,historyhasshownthatlargescientificendeavorscanleadtonewandunexpectedadvances.
Althoughthefundingforfusionoverthelast57yearsdoesnotmatchthefundingthattheAmericangovernmentspentontheManhattanProjectortheApolloProgram-$4.5billionperyearand$7billionperyear(2011dollars),respectively–thescientificandengineeringchallengesofgeneratingfusionpoweraresimilar.4
Thelaserandsuperconductorindustrieshavebeenthemainbeneficiariesoffusionresearch,butitisincreasinglyreachingacrossallsectors.Inadditiontothesecontributions,fusionresearchfundinghassupportedanddevelopedtheskillsofgenerationsofscientistsandengineers.The“humancapital”developedintheirresearchonfusionenergyistransferableacrossmanyotherscientificfields.
(Endnotes)
1FusionPowerAssociateshttp://aries.ucsd.edu/FPA/OFESbudget.shtml(accessedonJune23,2011).
2Whelan,DavidandLangreth,Robert“The$150MillionZapper”Forbes Magazine,March16,2009 http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0316/062_150mil_zapper.html(accessedonJune23,2011).
3FusionCommunicationsGroup“FusionSpinoffs:MakingaDifferenceToday”http://www.iter.org/doc/www/edit/Lists/Sto-ries/Attachments/624/spinoffs.pdf(accessedonSeptember1,2011).
4Stine,DeborahD.“TheManhattanProject,theApolloProgram,andFederalEnergyTechnologyR&DPrograms:AComparativeAnalysis”Congressional Research Service,June30,2009.Reportavailableathttp://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34645.pdf.
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