Tokamak Reactor

Wishing upon an Earthbound Star

By Sean Amman

Background

As of 2021, global energy production is still dominated by non-renewable forms, accounting for over 85% of the market, (OurWorldinData.org, 2021). This has contributed to climate change; since the pre-industrial era, the global surface temperature has risen by 1 degree Celsius. At face value, this number may seem insignificant, but this has had radical effects on the climate in the form of adverse regional and seasonal temperature extremes. From the melting of the polar ice caps to the destruction or changing of habitats, the effects of this 1-degree Celsius have been wide-ranging and devastating. There are many culprits for this temperature rise yet one of the highest contributors still operates at almost full capacity.

Figure 1

To make a significant dent in how energy is produced, a new source is required that is clean, available, and outperforms fossil fuels. The main inhibitor to most common current renewable sources i.e. wind and solar are their variability in supply and output. For it to always be windy or sunny enough for these forms of energy to produce amounts that compete with current energy sources is not yet feasible.

This is where fusion energy comes in. Previous forms of nuclear energy use uranium or plutonium in a nuclear reaction to split atoms apart, releasing energy and long-lived radioactive material. Fusion energy, on the other hand, uses much more commonly found fuel and only releases helium and short-lived radioactive waste. Fusion is the process that powers our sun, using immense amounts of heat and pressure to compress the nuclei of certain atoms to form new heavier nuclei which in turn releases enormous amounts of energy, (Dr. Alastair G, 2022).

The source for this reaction comes from lithium which can be converted into a new material during the process. It is estimated through the ITER project - the international nuclear fusion energy research collaboration - that the ocean contains enough lithium to power fusion energy for the next 6 million years. ITER also estimates that by 2035 their nuclear fusion test facility, named Tokamak, will be outputting 500 megawatts of net energy in only 5 to 9 minutes of the reaction occurring. In comparison to the chemical reaction of burning gas, coal, or oil, fusion releases 4 million times more energy (iter.org).

Fusion proposes an extraordinary opportunity for humanity and the groundwork for this breakthrough has been in development since the 1930s. Fusion has been demonstrated on Earth already, but only on a small scale. This all changed on December 21st, 2021, when the Culham Center for fusion energy (CCFE) demonstrated with their fusion reactor the largest energy output ever recorded, with 59 megajoules produced from a pulse of just 5 seconds (Elizabeth Gibney, 2022).

The JET reactor is a scaled-down version of the in-development ITER reactor, proving that the design can work. “At its core, fusion science is plasma physics” (iter.org). A major advancement of controlling this plasma was discovered in the use of superconducting magnets positioned in doughnut-shaped tors to control and confine the plasma so that it does not contact the walls of the reactor. This is needed because no known material on earth can handle contact with the ITER’s estimated 15 million degrees Celsius temperature plasma. Today, Tokamak is only 77.5% complete, and further tests will need to be conducted before we see fusion energy meet the grid (iter.org).

Beyond the engineering challenges, political and social challenges need to be addressed before we see fusion enter the energy market. Fusion holds this momentous opportunity for almost unlimited clean energy, but also poses the threat of being weaponized. As addressed in the paper Towards Fusion Energy by E. G. Carayannis, J. Draper, and B. Bhaneja (2021), it is of the utmost importance that nuclear fusion does not face the consequences nuclear fission saw. Born in a time of war, nuclear fission was militarized, bringing atomic bombs into the world. It unleashed the tragedies seen in Japan and led to the nuclear arms race between Russia and the USA during the Cold War. An alternative can be created because, unlike fission, the world has time to prepare for fusion in geopolitical and socioeconomic terms. It is proposed to revisit the US Branch Plan which was introduced in 1946 that intended for nuclear energy to be managed by the UN for peaceful diplomacy in its integration. This plan can set in place a rule-based environment in which intellectual property is respected.

Figure 2: G77 bloc of countries to be added to the Global Commission for Urgent Action on Fusion Energy

The paper proposes a “Global Commission for Urgent Action on Fusion Energy.” The US could play a leading role in the future of fusion, by inviting the G77 bloc of the UN’s 134 countries to participate in fusion energy. The idea here is that integrating the Global South into the development means that the technology cannot be only controlled by large dominating nations but by a collective whole that will be dictated by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. By doing so, this initiative could set in place the protective geopolitical, social, economic and technological considerations that prevent the weaponization of fusion energy and the possibility of a new Cold War. Moreover, this could kick off a global movement towards “Fusion for Peace” and “Energy for All,” a dream that is being heralded by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Reasons For Hope

Fusion energy is a tremendous opportunity for climate action. Developing a new source of clean energy that is unending and that can outperform fossil fuels would make major steps toward stopping the warming of the Earth’s surface. By following the proposal stated in the Towards Fusion Energy paper, this new source could be integrated all over the world, closing existing polluting forms of electricity production and lowering global emissions drastically. A quote by the IEA for the Global Energy Review in 2021 stated, “The biggest increase in CO2 emissions by sector in 2021 took place in electricity and heat production.” As indicated, electricity demand is increasing which in turn is increasing emissions. A future where all emitting forms of electricity are phased out would drop the average annual amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere by 1 gigaton.

Furthermore, the global political climate is moving towards this future. 193 states and the EU have agreed to the Paris Agreement which has set in place the goal of reducing emissions by 45% by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050 (Unfccc. int, 2022). With the world demanding increased energy and reduced emissions, fusion energy could be a key aspect of how society moves forward.

Insights and Applications

As it stands, fusion energy still has much development and preparation needed before it is brought into daily life. The challenges of creating fusion reactors that produce energy at economic levels will need more funding and public support. The Biden-Harris administration announced they “will lead the development of a decadal strategy to accelerate the realization of commercial fusion energy that benefits all stakeholders.” (Whitehouse.gov, 2022). An initial investment of 50 million dollars was dedicated to the Advanced Research Projects Agency in the development of a future fusion pilot plant.

The support for Fusion Energy is being brought more into the public eye, and with continued breakthroughs being made like the JET reactor’s record-breaking energy output, this will continue. The days of fusion energy being a distant dream are past us, and continued public support will be key to its success. Research into this energy source is vast and becoming an advocate for its safe integration into society is highly stressed by supporters. To learn more, visit the links below and join the U.S. Fusion Outreach Team to get this further into the discussion for how we power the future.

Date: Fall 2022

Location: Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, France, Oxfordshire, England

Tags: Science and Technology