What is energy?
Most physics textbooks state that energy is the capacity to do work. Then they usually start illustrating that “work” is the action of moving something against a force. So, what is energy then? Energy is so hard to interpret because it’s a conceptual idea. In physics, the concept of “energy” is just a tool to help neutralize the books. It is forever conserved (or converted into mass) so is useful in working out the results of any kind of physical or chemical procedure. From a billiard ball rolling across a table to water molecules racing around in a hot cup of coffee, everything is a form of energy. Chemical, electrical and nuclear energy these are a bit trickier, but ultimately all these forms of energy involve a type of action or a potential to move.
The more fundamental a physical notion, the more difficult it is to define it in words. For energy, the best we can say is that it’s the capacity to cause movement.
Lev Okun, the Russian physicist
What is Nuclear Energy?
The energy contained in the nucleus of an atom is called nuclear energy. The smallest unit of matter is called an atom. The force holds the nucleus together. For example, lots of energy is locked in atomic nuclei.
- It can be released when a uranium kernel splits into two. Both halves are positively charged, and so just after breaking they are electrically repulsed by one another. Hence the nuclear potential energy ends up as kinetic energy.
- Or fusing two positively charged atomic nuclei with an external force results in a heavy nucleus and a lot of energy.
What is Nuclear Fusion energy?
Nuclear fusion is the process of fusing lightweight atoms to release energy. The Sun also shines by this process and by recreating this procedure on Earth, we have a chance of an abundant form of low-carbon energy.
The Sun is the most crucial necessity of our planet Earth as it gives us the energy which we need for our existence. It is the closest natural fusion reactor to Earth. Inside it, the temperature rises to 15 million degrees Celsius, and the pressure and density are also tremendous. These are the conditions under which fusion naturally occurs.
For example, if at a specific temperature and pressure we fuse atoms of deuterium and tritium then it would produce only inert, non-toxic helium gas and releasing lot of energy as heat.
What will Nuclear Fusion do for us?
The most necessary single issue that’s changed in the world of fusion, over the final decade, is a clear realization that we need fusion says .
Tim Bestwick, the chief technology officer and director of the strategy, communications and business development at the UK Atomic Energy Association (UKAEA).
- By recreating nuclear fusion successfully, we can hold out the potential of nearly endless supplies of low-carbon and low-radiation energy.
- We have improved in our understanding of the science of fusion in recent years. And also had a set of technological breakthroughs. But we still lack a change in mindset that may be the deciding component.
- According to Tim Bestwick the most significant components in this realization are climate change and energy security. Regarding climate change, fusion offers a considerable supply of low-carbon electricity that can be used together with renewable electricity sources such as solar and wind power.
- This is widespread now and while energy security has been a popular topic for a long time, the sharp longing for it has just been realized, especially the wars between different countries have forced us to rethink again how we buy energy and fuel from foreign powers. All this gained favor regarding fusion.
How far are we in the implementation of nuclear fusion?
We have been trying to create a clean, safe fusion power for a long time. Now, we have finally a new breed of start-ups that can crack it at last.
The Joint European Torus (JET) is located at Culham in Oxfordshire. It has been initiating this fusion procedure for nearly 40 years. And for the past 10 years, it has been configured to imitate the predicted ITER set-up. From the beginning, it has made various contributions to the science of nuclear fusion and the engineering needed to make it possible.
But the temperature, pressure and density like inside the Sun cannot be created by artificial fusion reactors. Like, Inside JET, the gas density barely rises above the ordinary air outside, and so to compensate for it the temperature must be increased by more than 100 million degrees Celsius.
After several experiments at JET, it’s obvious that deuterium and tritium will be the fuels that make fusion achievable. Thus, the next step was to build a reactor that can generate more energy than it needs to operate. Therefore, a tokamak ITER is being built in southern France by a consortium of 35 countries, encompassing the UK. The tokamak will be almost completed in 2022. Operations are expected to begin in 2025, proceeding by gradually ramping up the reactor to its full potential. ITER is expected to return 10 times the energy needed to start the process.
Apart from ITER, UKAEA is also inventing a reactor called STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), a prototype nuclear fusion energy plant. However, its construction will begin much later.
A laboratory in China has been able to produce a fusion temperature of about 70,000,000 degrees Celsius for more than 17 minutes. This is a great achievement, but it will still take time to come to the market commercially.
Nuclear Fusion Research Cluster and its aim
Creating a commercial fusion power plant is now mostly an engineering challenge, rather than a leap into scientific research and development. As a result, in recent years there has been a plethora of private companies eager in developing their approaches to fusion. The fusion cluster is conducting its official launch later this year and is attracting start-up companies that are eager to build or contribute to fusion reactors.
The next UK science cluster exists at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, also in Oxfordshire. It started a decade ago with a few companies and now brags more than 100 space organizations.
The achievements have already begun in the cluster. Lately, Tokamak Energy obtained the necessary plasma temperature for fusion, and First Light Fusion attained fusion for the first time using a unique approach from tokamaks.
The cluster aims to attract not only reactor companies but companies that can deliver essential services for the reactors also. This essential service includes robotics and artificial intelligence, mainly.
How will the nuclear fusion experiment be done perfectly? By Robotic & AI?
UKAEA’s Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE), is also near JET. In their work area, a giant robotic arm is being assessed. Because once the reactors start working, humans can’t enter the reactors to perform maintenance. Therefore, robots will conduct tasks that humans cannot. This already happens at JET, where a 12-metre-long robotic arm, Mascot with two ‘hands’ is remotely regulated by technicians. It can replace wall tiles, tighten screws or remove worn components.
The intention of utilizing robotics always comes down to safety, productivity or both
Robert Buckingham, the director of RACE
And the robotics applications developed here are way beyond fusion. They can be adjusted for any dangerous environment like underwater or in space.
Fusion cluster company Luffy AI is the brainchild of scientists Matthew Carr and Alex Meakins. The pair realized that regulating the conditions in a fusion reactor needed AI. But, While AI is great in the digital world, it wasn’t making advances when used to regulate pieces of appliances like robots or reactors.
After analyzing the situation, they decided that the main problem was that AI systems stop learning after training. They struggle in an unknown situation. To solve it, they coded the machine equivalent of neuroplasticity, the process by which we adapt our behavior to the surrounding environment.
Pros and cons of Nuclear Fusion
- Scientists believe that fusion is a technology that will safely give us an immense and steady torrent of electricity, it would elicit no greenhouse gases and minimal junk compared to conventional energy sources also.
- While some believe that achieving this will open the door to a new era, some also believe Fusion is not a remedy to get us to 2050 net zero. This is a remedy to power society in the second half of this century.
- Furthermore, they say that, the fusion announcement is incredible news but it won’t help in our battle to lessen the consequences of climate change.
- There’s also massive uncertainty about when fusion power will get ready for commercialization. One estimate indicates maybe 20 years. Then fusion would need to scale up, which means a hold of another few decades.
Conclusion
In the near future, technology will imitate the processes of the sun, which has been discharging an enormous amount of energy for millions of years by converting matter through nuclear fusion, including the change of hydrogen isotopes into helium atoms. Fusion power submits the possibility of an almost inexhaustible source of power for future generations.
Everyone is looking up to Tokamak reactors and stellarators which constrain a deuterium-tritium plasma magnetically. However, scientists think that we can successfully use nuclear fusion energy by 2050 and That will be a source of endless energy.
