Nuclear Fusion Technologies Might Create Unlimited, Emission-Free Power

As opposed to nuclear fission (the technology utilized in today’s nuclear electricity generation plants that is based on literally splitting atoms), nuclear fusion is the reaction when two light atomic nuclei (often described as “plasma,” which occurs when a gas is heated and some of its electrons change state and become a plasma containing ions, neutral atoms and electrons) fuse together, forming a heavier nucleus. That nucleus releases energy—a lot of it. Unfortunately, the process requires massive amounts of heat, specifically 100 million+ degrees Celsius. There are various ways to achieve this reaction, including intense heat from an array of powerful lasers that are focused on the substance to be fused, as well as superconducting, high-intensity magnetic fields. The Holy Grail in nuclear fusion research is to create a continuous reaction that generates significantly more power than the energy consumed in creating the heat or the magnetic field needed for the process. If this can be done efficiently and safely, some scientists think fusion power could eventually create limitless, emission-free energy, without any nuclear waste, essentially “harnessing the power of the stars.”

In early tests, fusion power generators consumed more energy than they created. However, that is changing, with developments including a 2022 breakthrough, and the long-term potential of major research facilities, including a long-awaited site that is now under construction, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Southern France (www.iter.org). To be operational as early as 2035 to 2040, at a cost of about $15 billion (up from an initial $11.7 billion), the reactor is a pilot project to demonstrate the feasibility of full-scale fusion power. Initial (early-stage) testing could begin as early as 2025.

In the U.S., a project run by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is testing the use of lasers to ignite fusion. The lab’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) is conducting experiments designed to demonstrate ignition, or fusion, that results in a net gain of energy, using a massive laser.

Also, a large-scale project collaboration is underway in America, referred to as US ITER. It is a Department of Energy project, hosted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with a wide array of research partners, both domestic and foreign.

Meanwhile, there are several private fusion initiatives underway. These projects are generally developed on a smaller scale and rely on a technology called low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR). Heat is produced when metals such as nickel and palladium absorb hydrogen or deuterium and are exposed to external stimuli (which is similar to cold fusion). See lenr-canr.org.

In December 2022, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Washington, D.C. made a very significant breakthrough in nuclear fusion. The experiment used 192 lasers to heat and compress hydrogen atoms, reaching a temperature of 180 million degrees Fahrenheit. The resulting reaction released 3.15 megajoules of energy for every 2.05 megajoules of laser input, the first-time output ever outpaced input. However, the lasers that were utilized are far from reaching acceptable levels of efficiency, and commercial use of the process remains a long way off. The problem is that the lasers that were utilized are not energy efficient. That is, the lasers themselves convert only about 95% of the power that they consume into heat. Nonetheless, this experiment is very encouraging, and future advances in lasers and other technologies lie ahead.

Helion Energy (www.helionenergy.com), which is backed by OpenAI founder Sam Altman, is building a prototype 500-megawatt fusion power plant in partnership with Nucor that is expected to be completed by 2028. Helion has a deal with Microsoft Corporation to provide the software giant with 50-megawatts per year after completion.

Plasma confinement refers to technology that contains plasma in an extreme environment (such as high heat or a magnetic field) that is necessary for nuclear fusion. Similar conditions exist in the stars above us.

Magnetic Confinement Fusion (MCF) is one of the more promising technologies for nuclear fusion and is a different approach than the use of lasers. Researchers at MIT and elsewhere are making great strides in MCF. Strong magnetic fields confine plasma at extremely high pressures and temperatures during this process. This technology relies on ultrapowerful, high-temperature superconducting magnets to cause the atomic nuclei to fuse. A startup working in this area in conjunction with MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center is Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

No matter which technologies prove to be best over the long-term, it is likely to be many decades before fusion power generation can be commercially used as an everyday power source. While the research costs and challenges are great, nuclear fusion (along with advanced, high-safety-low nuclear waste reactors like those being developed by TerraPower, a startup backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates) is one of the most promising technologies for a low- to no-emissions energy future.

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