EUROfusion’s Post

⚛️First observation of how fusion keeps itself hot boosts confidence in ITER Organization and future fusion power plants. Researchers from the EUROfusion consortium announced scientific results from their record-breaking experimental campaign at the Joint European Torus (JET) fusion facility in 2021. ➡BSC researchers Dani Gallart Escolà, PhD and Mervi Mantsinen Fusion Group BSC are involved in 5 of the 15 papers in a Special Issue, including one BSC fist author paper by Mantsinen. 🗣"It is great to see the publication of this Special Issue. It is a culmination of years of research in the forefront of the #fusion field and provides key new information for ITER and future fusion reactors."

Can you remember that we reported an energy record for nuclear fusion in February 2022? At the time, the record was achieved as part of the European DT2 measurement campaign at the JET experiment and was a quickly tangible result. For further insights, the researchers needed more evaluation time. Now they have published the entire results.

ℹ️ On October 14th 2023, the JET (Joint European Torus) fusion laboratory in Oxford closed shop after four decades of successful experiments in energy production by forcing pairs of deuterium and tritium atoms (hydrogen isotopes) to join. Data gathered from JET operations contributed significantly to the planning and design of ITER's future reactor in southern France, the device of the currently largest fusion project in the world. ➡️ The UK has decided to continue with a new, domestic fusion energy strategy, the construction of a new prototype fusion energy plant in Nottinghamshire, called STEP – a UKAEA programme that will demonstrate how to generate net electricity from fusion in a spherical tokamak. 📘 To learn more about fusion-reactor concepts and advancements for industrialised fusion, read: https://bit.ly/486BfJo 🔗 #scienceandtechnology #engineering #fusion #fusionpower #fusionenergy Cosylab - helping to engineer a fusion power plan for the grid.

🌟🔬 Fusion Future in Jeopardy? Second Postponement Until 2035 for the Largest Fusion Experiment 🔬🌟 The dream of harnessing fusion energy as a limitless and clean power source faces yet another delay. The world’s largest fusion experiment, previously set to revolutionize energy production, has been postponed again until 2035. What does this mean for the future of fusion energy? 🔹 The Fusion Experiment: Project Name: [Insert Project Name, e.g., ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)] Goal: To achieve sustained nuclear fusion, mimicking the processes powering the sun, and provide a new, virtually limitless source of clean energy. 🔹 Reasons for Delay: Technical Challenges: Fusion energy technology is incredibly complex, requiring breakthroughs in materials science, engineering, and plasma physics. Budget Overruns: The project has faced significant financial hurdles, with costs escalating beyond initial projections. Project Management: Coordination among international partners has added layers of complexity to the timeline. 📈 Stay Informed: Follow us for updates on the progress of the fusion experiment and other significant developments in energy research. Learn more about the science behind fusion energy and its potential to transform our world. 📢 Join the Conversation: What are your thoughts on the second postponement of the fusion experiment? Do you believe fusion energy is still a viable future energy source? Share your opinions and questions in the comments below! Let’s discuss the challenges and future of this groundbreaking project and its potential impact on our world. #FusionEnergy #CleanEnergy #EnergyFuture #ScientificResearch #ClimateChange #RenewableEnergy #FusionExperiment #2035Delay #GlobalEnergy #InnovativeScience

We are excited to share spectacular results from the JET fusion facility (Joint European Torus) today! Last year, a European research team of EUROfusion researchers successfully used JET to generate 69 megajoules of #fusionenergy from 0.2 milligrams of fuel. This is the largest amount of energy ever achieved in a fusion experiment and a new world record. The graph below compares the new result to our previous world records at JET ☀️ Read all about it here: https://lnkd.in/d6Z35sm8 JET is the only fusion research facility of its kind where researchers can experiment with deuterium-tritium fusion. This fuel mix is planned for the international ITER project and for future fusion machines like DEMO, the European demonstration fusion power plant. Check out this video of the record plasma, pulse number 104522 at JET: https://lnkd.in/dHYHE3v7 #JETDTE3 #FusionBreakthrough #JETWRresults #JointEuropeanTorus #FusionWorldRecord #JETworldrecord UK Atomic Energy Authority ITER Fusion For Energy European Commission

Advanced Magnet Source: Energizing the Future Magnum Opus for the ITER Fusion Project In a groundbreaking development reported by Interesting Engineering titled "The World's Most Powerful Magnet Is Ready to Meet ITER Fusion Reactor," is set to make a significant contribution to the ITER project. General Atomics, an American energy and defense company, is gearing up to ship the first module of the Central Solenoid, heralded as the world's most powerful magnet, to southern France. ITER, a collaborative effort involving 35 partner countries, aims to replicate the Sun's fusion power—a monumental endeavor in the realm of energy projects. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, ITER's construction is nearly 75 percent complete. The ITER Tokamak, often referred to as a "sun on earth," is taking shape with massive components arriving from three continents. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gC8xYkwf

Fusion Energy: Pipe Dream or Game-Changer of Our Century? 🤔 Hold on... what's fusion? Dive in👇 Amidst our ambitious climate goals, one technology that always intrigued me seems overshadowed: Nuclear Fusion. Fusion? It's what happens when light atomic nuclei (like two hydrogen isotopes) merge, forming a heavier nucleus (in that case helium) while releasing energy – much like what is happening in the sun ☀️ Getting a bit up to speed lately, I created the overview below. Check it out! Flagship projects across different fusion approaches like ITER in France, Wendelstein 7-X in Germany, and NIF (National Ignition Facility) in the US are setting milestones. Yet, timelines are long and their primary aim isn't electricity generation but research and demonstrating feasibility. However, zooming in, there is a whole set of new companies that have entered the scene over the past 3-5 years showcasing traditional as well as more “derivative” approaches (check out Helion and Zap Energy). Anyway, happy to see Germany being in the game with Wendelstein 7-X, Marvel Fusion and Focused Energy Inc. Commonality among all projects? No reactors in operation... yet. Key challenges? 👉 Borderline physics madness (achieving stable plasma conditions)! 😄 👉 Many first-of-its-kind components. 👉 Materials that endure extreme conditions (worst case of 100 million degrees in the plasma vs. -273.15 Kelvin in the cryostat hosting the super-conducting magnets in a tokamak or stellarator). 👉 Steep investments & elongated timelines. 👉 Increasing the fusion energy gain factor significantly to make future reactor operation economically viable. 👉 The “nuclear” in "nuclear fusion" stigma. Yet, the radioactive risk? Mostly potential activation of the reactor materials, but negligible compared to fission reactors and approaching zero with fuels not releasing neutrons like Proton/Boron11. Any thoughts? What's your take? Which biggest hurdles do you see? How can we overcome them and size the opportunity? #nuclearfusion #technology #sustainableenergy #innovation #cleantech

South Korea’s “Artificial Sun” is a leap forward in fusion energy technology.   South Korea's KSTAR fusion reactor successfully sustained a scorching 100 million degrees Celsius (SEVEN TIMES hotter than our Sun's core) for 48 seconds. This record-breaking experiment shatters KSTAR's previous record of 30 seconds set in 2021. The experiment is a massive win for the global scientific community researching fusion reactor technology.   Power from current fission-related power plants is carbon-free, but it poses a radioactive risk. Nuclear fusion reactions pose no such risk. Scientists have encountered the challenge of generating and sustaining the elevated pressure and temperature necessary for fusion reactions until the present.   The KSTAR experiment is important because it demonstrates that we are improving our ability to withstand the severe temperatures and pressures required for fusion.  KSTAR's most recent milestone is especially encouraging for the common "tokamak" reactor design, as it addressed earlier limits by upgrading to tungsten divertors, which can endure severe heat exhaust.   Fusion has the potential to provide virtually limitless clean energy by fusing light elements like hydrogen to release tremendous amounts of energy. Several other global projects also show promise that fusion reactors could be commercialized one day.    UK's Joint European Torus: In 2022, it set a record for fusion energy output (enough to briefly power thousands of homes). US National Ignition Facility: Lasers triggered a fusion reaction, briefly getting more energy out than put in. China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak: Sustained superheated plasma for over 400 seconds.   Each of these projects pushes the limits of what's possible. If achieved on an industrial scale, fusion could revolutionize the energy landscape. Fusion energy could ensure: Clean Energy Independence: Fusion will deliver limitless power without greenhouse gas emissions and could minimize fossil fuel reliance and associated geopolitics. Space Exploration: An efficient power source for spacecraft and habitats could enable new space exploration and colonization. The international fusion community faces many obstacles, but the continued innovations offer promise. We're in an exciting new fusion science and development period.   Do you see nuclear fusion as a viable solution for addressing global energy needs?   Let’s discuss this in the comments section.   #NuclearFusion #ArtificialSun #EnergySecurity #cleanenergy #greenenergy #energytransition

Exciting strides are being made in the realm of 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, promising a future of abundant, clean energy. The ongoing international effort, epitomized by projects like ITER and EU DEMO, heralds a monumental shift in our energy landscape. An important milestone was the 2021 International CAE Conference and Exhibition 2021 in Vicenza (𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦), where the University of Rome Tor Vergata, alongside EUROfusion and RBF Morph, unveiled a remarkable showcase: a 3D-printed scale model of the 𝐄𝐔 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎 𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫. This unveiling marked a significant step towards realizing fusion energy on a commercial scale. Prof. Marco Evangelos Biancolini of the University of Rome Tor Vergata aptly encapsulated the vision: "𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏, 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚." Central to this endeavor is meticulous design, with Corrado Groth, a researcher at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, highlighting the importance of optimization: "𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆." RBF Morph's innovative approach, employing mesh morphing techniques, plays a pivotal role in this optimization process. Christian Bachmann, Head of Design Integration at EUROfusion, emphasizes RBF Morph's impact: "𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒍𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒎𝒂, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒌𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒌." RBF Morph's groundbreaking work in fusion energy optimization never stopped. Check out this two publications: 🚀🚀 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘌𝘔𝘖 𝘛𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘬’𝘴 𝘛𝘍 𝘊𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘊𝘈𝘌 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨: https://lnkd.in/d7AwBcpr 🚀🚀 And 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘌𝘔𝘖 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘌 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘉𝘍 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨: https://lnkd.in/dvHZJJhR Together, let's forge a sustainable future powered by fusion energy! 𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆: 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐@𝒓𝒃𝒇-𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒉.𝒄𝒐𝒎 #FusionEnergy #CleanEnergy #Innovation #FutureTech #rbfmorph #thermonuclear #sustainability #simulation

🌟 Exciting news from the Lawrence Livermore National Lab! US scientists have achieved "ignition" in their fusion energy experiments, marking a major breakthrough in the pursuit of emissions-free energy. While this brings us closer to the potential of fusion power, there are still significant challenges to overcome. The race for commercial fusion electricity is on, with private investors pouring billions into research. However, it's clear that we're still in the "age of ignition" and have a way to go before fusion power becomes a reality. #FusionEnergy #CleanEnergy #IgnitionAge #NuclearPower #FutureTech 🌍🔬🚀