The search for practical, renewable, and endless power is what nuclear engineers want. Developing the process of nuclear fusion into a virtually endless power source, to power the development of mankind, and aspirations for cheaper sources of energy. At MIT where scientists have harnessed new designs that optimize magnetic fields to accelerate plasma, generating heat and power from it.
Major factors that will drive the tokamak will be superconductors, rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) superconducting tapes, to generate high-energy magnetic fields to drive the plasma and particles faster than ever. Denis White, a specialist in Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT, said it will rewrite everything about fusion and tokamak design.
Several design factors are important when conducting a fusion reaction with this tokamak. Designed to be smaller, easy to build, and is less expensive with cutting edge features over older tokamaks. Important in the better and upgraded tokamak are features to make it perform more efficiently. Overall, the tokamak project will look like a donut and with a circular geometry as the main appearance.
It was written in a paper by Whyte, Ph.D. candidate Brandon Sorbom, and 11 others at MIT. It was just a design as initially conceptualized, which led to it becoming an actual project by the scientists. Incorporation of next-gen superconductors is the key to contain hot plasma in a shielded device, to constrain the fusion reaction inside.
Also Read: Engineers, Scientists May Have Found the Secret to Contain the Power of a Star in Tokamaks
New prototype
The new tokamak design is for testing fusion power and leads to an actual power plant to give more power on a larger scale of production. Built and designed from MIT research, and other studies to perfect it. Generation of higher-level superconductor created magnetic fields, will multiply performance and power generation.
The heat of a small star will be trapped by the magnets and keep it burning inside the redesigned tokamak better. Plasma will be stabilized as the atoms fuse and collide to combine, producing the power of stars.
Tenfold power generation
Expectations for the new design that will be able to create fusion power, about the factor of 10 better than standard superconductor magnets used. Such an improvement in reactor performance will lead to better design proposed in the future too. Innovation is easy removal of fusion power core, without disassembling the smaller device. The use of the super magnets will be an improvement when today's tokamaks heat up and cannot be used for long durations.
Liquid cooling/anti-heating blanket
Solid materials used for blanketing the tokamak, degrades fast and a bit expensive as well. The use of liquid blanketing material is easy to circulate and cheaper as a blanketing material. Shifting to using liquid blanketing will increase the power produced far more than expected.
Conclusion
Achieving this goal is enabled by creating a new "Tokamak" design as opposed to nuclear fission, that causes atoms to split apart and create energy, heat, from the explosive force inside nuclear reactors. This tokamak technology just might provide alternative energy, to drive the next generation nuclear fusion reactors.
Read: New Design Could Finally Help Bring Fusion Power Closer to Reality
