2. Nuclear Fusion The Possibility

3. Introduction “Every time you look up at the sky, every one of those points of light is a reminder that fusion power is extractable from hydrogen and other light elements” -Carl Sagan, 1991

4. The Future of Fusion While renewables may be the “energy source of tomorrow,” fusion will likely be needed for “the day after tomorrow”

6. Overview Fusion will solve future energy shortfalls Viable fusion power plants will solve pollution problems Investment in fusion research and development will set the stage for future energy independence U.S. involvement in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) will aid development of fusion technology

7. The Problems Enormous monetary investment Possibility of failure

8. Conclusion The answer is fusion –Although the monetary investment involved is daunting the future benefits of establishing fusion as a viable power source for the U.S. and the world rise far above the obstacles that stand in the way

9. Why Fusion? Problems with current energy producing fuels It is hypothesized that by 2050 we will have run out of economically recoverable fossil fuels

10. Coal Abundant Burns dirty Causes acid rain and air pollution –Greenhouse gas problems

11. Oil Flexible fuel source with many derivatives Transportable Finite supply Causes air pollution

12. Natural Gas Burns cleanly Transportable Finite supply Dangerous to handle

13. Growing Population

14. No More Fossil Fuel? Need For New Energy Sources If we continue to burn fossil fuels for energy, they will only last another few hundred years. This means that an energy shortfall could occur within the next fifty years.

15. Nuclear Power Clean No CO2 No immediate pollution Problems with waste disposal Safety concerns

16. Other Alternative Sources Water Power Solar Power Tidal Power Wind Power Geothermal Power 20% of the energy needed for an estimated world population of 10 Billion in 2050

17. An Answer Nuclear Fusion

18. Our Sun

19. Fusion Advantages Abundant fuel, available to all nations –Deuterium and lithium easily available for thousands of years Environmental Advantages –No carbon emissions, short-lived radioactivity Modest land usage –Compact relative to solar, wind and biomass Can’t blow up –Resistant to terrorist attack –Less than 5 minutes of fuel in the chamber Not subject to daily, seasonal or regional weather variation –No large-scale energy storage nor long-distance transmission Can produce electricity and hydrogen –Compliments other nearer-term energy sources

20. Fusion Disadvantages Huge research and development costs Radioactivity

21. Background Fusion Basics

22. Basic Physics

23. Energy-Releasing Reactions ChemicalFissionFusion Sample Reaction C + O 2 -> CO 2 n + U-235 -> Ba-143 + Kr-91 + 2 n H-2 + H-3 -> He-4 + n Typical Inputs (to Power Plant) Bituminous Coal UO 2 (3% U-235 + 97% U-238)Deuterium & Lithium Typical Reaction Temp. (K) 700100010 8 Energy Released per kg of Fuel (J/kg) 3.3 x 10 7 2.1 x 10 12 3.4 x 10 14

24. What is an atom?

25. Nuclear Power Nuclear fission –Where heavy atoms, such as uranium, are split apart releasing energy that holds the atom together Nuclear fusion –Where light atoms, such as hydrogen, are joined together to release energy

26. States of Matter Plasma is sometimes referred to as the fourth state of matter

27. Plasma makes up the sun and the stars

28. Plasma Atoms In plasma the electrons are stripped away from the nucleus Like charges repel –Examples of plasma on earth: Fluorescent lights Lightning Aurorae Neon signs

29. Typical Plasmas Interstellar Solar Corona Thermonuclear Laser Air Density

30. Characteristics of Typical Plasmas

31. Basic Characteristics Particles are charged Conducts electricity Can be constrained magnetically

32. Fusion Fuel Tritium Deuterium

33. The fuel of fusion

34. Inexhaustible Energy Supply Deuterium –Constitutes a small percentage of the hydrogen in water Separated by electrolysis 1 barrel (42 gallons) water = ¾ oz. D = 32,000 gallons of oil Tritium –n + Li T + He –Lithium is plentiful Earth’s crust Oceans –Savannah, Georgia –Canada, Europe, Japan

35. Fusion Fuel: Deuterium

36. Other Possible Fusion Fuels Helium-3 Nuclear Fusion Proton NeutronProton

37. Where is Helium-3? Helium-3 comes to us from the sun on the solar wind It cannot penetrate the magnetic field around the earth, so it eventually lands on the moon One shuttle load- 25 tons- would supply the U.S. with enough fuel for one year –China

38. HOW FUSION REACTIONS WORK

39. E=mc 2 Einstein’s equation that equates energy and mass –E= energy –M= mass –C= speed of light (3 x 10 8 m/sec) Example: –energy from one raisin = 10,000 tons of TNT

40. Two Main Types of Fusion Reactions: P-P "P-P": Solar Fusion Chain

41. Two Main Types of Fusion Reactions: D-T D + T => He-4 + n

42. More on Fusion Reactions

44. An enormous payoff The fraction of “lost” mass when H fuses into He is 38 parts out of 10,000 This lost mass is converted into energy The energy released from 1 gram of DT = the energy from about 2400 gallons of oil

46. The result Inexhaustible fuel source –Seawater & Lithium The MOST “bang for your buck” Inexpensive to produce Widely distributed fuel source –No wars No pollution –Helium is not polluting Fuel that is non-radioactive –Residue Helium-4 is non-radioactive Waste reduction

47. More on Fusion Radioactivity Aneutronic Fusion Fuels –More costly –Not enough science yet Neutronic Fusion Fuels –D-T Reaction Most of the neutrons are absorbed into a lithium blanket which is then used to replace the tritium fuel Stray tritium atoms The Reactor Structure

48. More of Fusion Radioactivity Stray Tritium –Relatively benign Doesn’t emit strong radioactivity when it decays –So only dangerous when ingested or inhaled Shows up in one’s body as water –Easily and frequently flushed out Half-life of 12 years –No long-term waste problem –Won’t decay while in one’s body –Less than natural exposure to radon, cosmic rays and much less than man-made x-rays

49. More on Fusion Radioactivity Reactor Structure –Development of special “low-activation” structural materials Vanadium Silicon-carbide –Wait ten to fifteen years after shutdown The reactor will be less radioactive than some natural materials (particularly uranium ores) Recycle into a new fusion reactor

50. Waste Reduction Power Source Total Waste (m3) High-Level RAD Waste Coal 10,000 (ashes) 0 Fission 440 120 Fusion: Today’s Materials 2000 30 Advanced Materials 2000 0

51. So why aren’t fusion plants already in operation? How fusion works and the obstacles in the way

52. The Problems Harnessing the Energy Achieving & sustaining high temperatures –The reaction takes place at a temperature hotter than the surface of the sun –0.1 seconds Containing the fuel & the reaction Money for research and development

53. Harnessing the Energy

54. Achieving ignition temperatures 45

55. Methods to Heat Deuterium- Tritium Fuel Compressing the Fuel Internal Electric Current Neutral Particles Microwaves Lasers X-rays [recent development]

56. Plasma Confinement & Heating Magnetic Electromagnetic Waves Ohmic Heating (by electric currents) Neutral Particle Beams (atomic hydrogen) Compression (by magnetic fields) Fusion Reactions (primarily D+T) Tokamak Schematic Laser-beam-driven Fusion Inertial Compression (implosion driven by laser or ion beams, or by X-rays from laser or ion beams) Fusion Reactions (primarily D+T) Gravity Compression (gravity) Fusion Reactions (such as the p-p chain) Stars & Galaxies

57. Inertial Confinement Fusion

58. Recent Developments: Sandia National Laboratories Two Purposes: –Weapons research –Pursue the ignition of fusion Z Accelerator (inertial confinement) –Wagon wheel-like design –Uses blasts of X-rays crashing into a hydrogen (deuterium) capsule at the center 200 trillion watts of x-rays (10 x electrical energy than entire generating capacity of the world) 15 million degrees centigrade –Likened to an internal combustion engine Cheaper than Tokamaks and Lasers

59. The Z Accelerator Challenges: A machine that can detonate controlled thermonuclear explosions and survive Timeline: electricity on a national grid in 35 years Dr. Stewart C. Prager, “It’s premature to judge which is the winner” Dr. Quintenz says, “We’re in the game” For More Information: The New York Times, April 8, 2003 “New Fusion Method Offers Hope of New Energy Source”

60. Fusion By Magnetic Confinement

63. Where are the Current major Fusion Energy Projects? JET from the European Community JT-60U in Japan NOVA at Lawrence Livermore Labs in California TFTR at PPL in Princeton, New Jersey DIII-D at General Atomics in San Diego, CA Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM

64. NOVA Machine- Inertial Confinement

65. TFTR is located at PPPL (Princeton, NJ)

66. DIII-D is located at General Atomics (San Diego, CA)

68. International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Cooperative Effort by European Union, Japan, U.S. and Russia First proposed in 1986 (Hopefully) Operational 2014 Magnetic confinement design concept

69. Energy Secretary Abraham Announces U.S. to Join Negotiations on Major International Fusion Project

70. ITER Design

71. To achieve extended burn in inductively driven plasmas with the ratio of fusion power to auxiliary heating power (Q) of at least 10 for a range of operating scenarios and with a duration sufficient to achieve stationary conditions on the timescales characteristic of plasma processes; To aim at demonstrating steady-state operation using non-inductive current drive with a ratio of fusion power to input power for current drive (Q) of at least 5. ITER Physics Design Principal Physics Goals

72. Issues still unresolved Site Selection Construction of components Timeline

73. Site Selection: Enter Politicians European Union –Cadarache, France –Vandellos, Spain Canada –Clarington (near Toronto) Japan –Rokkasho (northern tip of Honshu, the main island)

74. Financial Commitment Total Construction Costs= 5 Billion Total Operating Costs= 5.5 Billion (twenty years) Dismantling Costs= 450 million Countries offering to host the site –EU, Canada, Japan –20%-25% Countries offering to be full partners –Russia, China, U.S –10%

75. Component Construction Superconducting coils Plasma-heating system Vacuum pumps Cryogenics Diagnostic devices

76. Timeline May 20 & 21 –Negotiation session of ITER partners in Vienna End of 2003/early 2004 –Ratify an agreement amongst participating nations 2005-2006 –Construction begins –Ten years 2014 –Facility operational

77. Concluding Remarks “We definitely need more physics”

78. Concluding Remarks Fusion is possible Fusion will solve many environmental problems Fusion will solve political problems Fusion will solve future fuel needs Fusion is the answer

79. Questions