Thanks to a magnetic field innovation, fusion power is "approaching" reality.
Fusion ignition can almost be accomplished with a little help from magnets.
Fusion power
might be closer to reality than you realize. In experiments, scientists at the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory of the Energy Department found that a new
magnetic field setup increased the energy output of the fusion reaction hotspot
by more than threefold, "approaching" the level necessary for
self-sustaining ignition in plasmas, according to a report by Motherboard. The
hotspot's heat was exceptionally well-trapped by the field, increasing the
energy production.
200 laser
beams were fired at a pellet of fusion fuel comprised of deuterium and tritium,
two hydrogen isotopes, to create the hotspot. The pellet imploded as a result
of the X-rays, producing the extremely high pressures and heat required for
fusion. The team's accomplishment was made possible by coiling a pellet made of
unique metals.
The belief
Fusion
reactors that are usable are still several years distant. The amount of energy
needed to produce self-sustaining reactions is still significantly less than
the output. However, the discovery greatly increases the possibility of
ignition, which in turn raises the possibility of a fusion system that produces
energy. The experiments on magnetism are still ongoing. In a later experiment,
a cryogenic capsule filled with ice will be used to study fusion physics. Even
if ignition is still some time off, the knowledge gained from this study may
make the road to that pivotal moment more obvious.