Fusion: And What The Smartest Guys In The Room Are Doing With It

I previously wrote an article” Fusion: The Ultimate Green Energy”.

In that article I discuss how the breakthrough of fusion technology would revolutionize energy production in the world and immediately eliminate the need for fossil fuels ever again. (Read complete article here)

Recent advances in magnet technology have enabled researchers at MIT to propose a new design for a practical compact fusion reactor. The reality of commercially viable fusion power, could be realized within the decade. This breakthrough would be an inexhaustible energy resource and one of the most important technologies ever known to man.

While fission continues to power our nuclear reactors today, fusion offers a cleaner, safer source of energy. Fission is when an atom is split into two smaller fragments, creating an explosion of sorts and resulting in the release of heat energy. Fusion is the nuclear reaction that powers the sun and involves fusing pairs of hydrogen atoms together to form helium, resulting in an enormous releases of energy.

The biggest hurdle in harnessing fusion has been confining the working material of a fusion reaction which is superhot plasma, all while heating it to temperatures hotter than the cores of stars. Newly available superconductors are now able to produce high-magnetic field coils, confine the superhot plasma. This effectively traps all the heat and particles in the hot center of the device.

The heat energy created using a compact fusion reactor would drive turbine generators. These turbines then generate electricity, or power that could be used in a number of different applications. 

Matt Helland
SVP of Client Relations