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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