Oxford researchers working at an advanced lab in France have achieved a fusion energy breakthrough with experiments that are fast, violent, and fit for an episode of Star Trek, at least judging by the description in a lab report.
In a nutshell, the experts shoot aluminum projectiles at 1,789 mph at a target containing fusion fuel. The collision causes the reaction to start as part of a technique called impact fusion. This happens using a “meso-scale” gas launcher, per a news release and description from innovator First Light Fusion.
For reference, the meso-scale — a term seemingly pulled from the plot of an Enterprise adventure — “covers spatial dimensions bridging the nano- and macroscopic scales, and a multidimensional space,” as described by Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Got that, Scotty?
In France, the First Light team is working on the research with Oxford University experts at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. If successful, the offering could provide a novel approach to creating sustainable fusion reactions to generate abundant power free of heat-trapping air pollution, according to the experts.
The World Nuclear Association reports that more than 40% of the planet’s heat-trapping gas production comes from burning dirty energy sources to make electricity. The fumes are linked by NASA to a growing risk for a variety of severe weather events.
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“The progress the team made with these experiments is a crucial step in our journey to delivering commercial fusion at scale,” First Light’s Francisco Suzuki-Vidal said in the release.
Unlike fission, used in the world’s approximately 440 nuclear reactors, fusion doesn’t produce long-lasting radioactive waste as part of a safer process, per the WNA and U.S. Department of Energy. But sustaining reactions at scale economically has been a challenge. Physicist Amory Lovins, an expert from Colorado-based clean energy think tank RMI, told The Cool Down that renewable energy from the wind and sun is more affordable to develop to meet “flat load” demand than current nuclear tech.
However, breakthroughs involving fusion experiments are becoming more common at labs around the world. Experts in China are developing what they call an “artificial sun” that can control extreme temperatures in part with magnetic fields.
First Light’s technique improves on impact fusion science by using amplifiers to reduce the speed needed for the collision with increased pressure. The fuel also “implodes much faster than the original impact,” all per the description. A video rendering shared by the developers depicts the coin-like projectile hitting the fuel, inducing a reaction.
“These are fantastic experiments exploiting the unique properties of our facilities,” Alexander Rack, lead research scientist at the French radiation facility, said in the release.
The team used a form of X-ray imaging to capture details of the impact, among other diagnostics. Those findings will be compared to advanced numerical simulations as part of the research’s progression, all per the experts.
“I’m excited to see what other physics the partnership uncovers as we push these experiments to much higher velocity conditions,” Oxford professor Daniel Eakins said in the release.
Importantly, smart energy use doesn’t always require artificial suns, high-speed projectiles, or X-ray examinations from First Light. Better light can be achieved at home by switching out old bulbs with long-lasting LEDs. The move can greatly reduce your household air pollution output while saving you hundreds of dollars a year.
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