We can think of HTS like energy efficient light bulbs: such bulbs will convert a high percentage of their electricity into light and will lose very little energy in the form of heat. These superconductors can carry an immense amount of electrical current with low dissipation, meaning very little of the current is lost to the environment. The most powerful magnets being developed today are made of a special technology known as high-temperature superconductors (HTS). The strength of the magnetic field is proportional to the amount of electric current flowing through the material. Electric current moving through a conductive material (such as a wire) generates a magnetic field. In fact, we are constantly exposed to the Earth’s own magnetic field (0.00003T)!įigure 2: Electric current induces magnetic fields. Unlike radiation, low-strength magnetic field exposure has no known long-term adverse health effects. A magnet’s field strength is measured in Teslas (T) refrigerator magnets have a field strength of around 0.001T, while that of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine is around 1.5T. How are magnets involved in fusion?Īll magnets generate a magnetic field that can direct the movement of charged particles within said field (Figure 2). Scientists create plasma by superheating gaseous hydrogen, which is the most abundant element in the universe. This property is key for the new fusion methods that physicists and engineers are developing. The movement of its many charged particles make plasma capable of conducting electricity and being affected by magnetic fields. As in all gases, the atoms in plasma are highly mobile and move with high speeds. Neon lights, our Sun, and lightning are all examples of plasma. Plasma is a special state of matter in which charged atoms known as ions exist in a gaseous form. The fusion process releases a great deal of energy. When moving at extremely high speeds, two atoms of hydrogen can collide and fuse to form one atom of helium and one neutron. Some scientists have turned to plasma to accomplish this goal.įigure 1: Nuclear fusion releases energy. For this reason, scientists are continually working to find new sources and technologies to achieve fusion energy. Because fusion energy requires huge amounts of heat, it has been a challenge to develop fusion devices that generate more energy than they use, a standard that physicists refer to as Q>1. Achieving energy-efficient fusion, however, is a decades-old hurdle. Current fusion devices use the byproducts of the reaction to create even more fuel, essentially creating a self-sustaining process. This energy can then be harnessed for other processes, such as powering an electrical generator. When the particles do achieve fusion, energy is released (Figure 1). When the temperature is raised, energy in the form of heat is absorbed by the atoms and converted to kinetic energy, allowing them to move faster. An atom’s speed can be increased by raising the temperature of the system that the atom is in. Fusion can only occur under special conditions where atoms are moving so fast that their kinetic energy–the energy the atom possesses due to its motion–overcomes the repulsive forces, increasing the probability that the centers of the atoms, known as nuclei, will collide and fuse into one. This is similar to how the “negative” poles of two bar magnets will repel each other if you try to push them together. But this doesn’t happen spontaneously: because atoms are made of positively and negatively charged particles known as protons and electrons, they will often repel each other if they get too close. What is fusion energy?įusion occurs when two or more atoms, the particles that make up all things, combine to make a single, new type of atom (Figure 1). Physicists around the world are now racing to develop this breakthrough energy technology using an unlikely source: magnets. While the physical process of fusion is essentially the reverse of nuclear fission, fusion is believed to be a safer and more efficient (albeit more difficult) alternative to fission. However, scientists believe that we can do even better through fusion energy, which uses small amounts of highly abundant natural resources to generate energy in the same way that stars–like our Sun–do. Currently, wind turbines, solar panels, and hydroelectric power plants generate around 20% of the electricity used in the United States. Scientists, politicians, and civilians alike are working to combat this crisis by creating plans and developing clean energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, which generate energy with relatively little carbon emission. The phrase “energy crisis” likely brings to mind rising gas prices, drying up oil reserves, increasing greenhouse gases, climate change, and the like.
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