The document discusses the current status and advantages of fusion electricity, highlighting its potential to meet the growing global demand for electricity while being environmentally friendly and safe. It covers the characteristics of fusion reactions, fuel sources, and the development efforts in various countries. Although challenges remain, there is optimism about advancements and a systematic approach to reduce technical risks in fusion technology.

1. Worldwide Status of
Fusion Electricity Developments
Dr. Howard Hornfeld
Fusion Advocates
Geneva, Switzerland
Presentation to the Gas, Oil and Petroleum Engineering Conference
November 2016 Las Vegas

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3. What you’ll hear…
What fusion electricity is
Why we need it
Where it’s being developed
When it’ll be in the grid
Q & A
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4. Energy and electricity
Electricity is 20% of energy
Renewables are mainly electricity
Electricity growth will outstrip all other
energy-delivery systems
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5. Why more electricity?
15% of the world’s population have no electricity and
will soon demand it
Rising demand in urban areas in developed countries
Increasing number of electric vehicles
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6. More electricity
 Provides unlimited fresh water supplies through
desalination
 Hospitals can rely on power, and vaccines can be
refrigerated
 Safe street lighting and traffic control systems
 Heating or cooling for homes, buildings and
factories
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7. Fusion electricity
What it is
and why we need it

8. Definitions
 Fusion
Controlled reaction between nuclei of isotopes of
hydrogen carried out in a very high temperature reactor
and generating heat
 Fusion Electricity
Electrical power on the public grid generated from a
fusion reactor
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9. Nuclear energy
 Fissionission
 Uses high atomic weight materials
 Operates in standard process regimes
 Some waste and raw material problems
 Fusion
 Low atomic weight materials
 Extreme temperatures
 Minimal waste and raw materials problems
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10. Why Fusion ?
 Clean and safe
 Unlimited
 Non-political
 No proliferation danger
 Environmentally pro-active
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11. The Fusion Reaction
Reaction products = helium and a neutron, and
massive energy
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12. Fuel
Deuterium and Lithium
 Unlimited supplies worldwide
 Cheap
 Low volumes (low transport cost/pollution)
 No ash or solid waste removal
 Safety, security, environmental and economic comparison
with alternate electricity systems -
 Coal, Oil and Gas
 Fission
 Renewables
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13. Fuel Supply
 Deuterium – all water has 0.017% deuterium
 Tritium –
 Initial : purchase (today’s price: $30,000 per gram)
 Subsequent : 3Li6 + 0n1
2He4 + 1H3
(takes place in the reactor)
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Fuel Supply
 Deuterium – all water has 0.017% deuterium
 Tritium –
Initial : purchase (today’s price: $30,000 per gram)
Subsequent : 3Li6 + 0n1
2He4 + 1H3
(takes place in the reactor)

15. How is Fusion Done ?
Two basic systems, and a few oddballs:
Inertial confinement fusion
Magnetic confinement fusion
General Fusion
Tri-Alpha
Lockheed Martin
Tokamak Energy
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16. Controlling a Plasma
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17. Typical Tokamak
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18. 18
Inside the
Vacuum Vessel
of a Tokamak
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19. Fusion Today
JET
ITER
Eastern countries
Europe
USA
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20. Fusion electricity plans
 China
 Korea
 Japan
 Europe
 USA
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21. Competitivity of fusion power
 High investment
 Low raw-material costs
 Lower operating costs than nuclear
 Dependent on government tax policies
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22. Fuel considerations
1 ton fusion fuel = 4 -10 million tons coal
Storage facilities minimal
(main cost is for tritium)
Cheap extraction of deuterium and lithium
Low transport costs (short distances)
No cost for ash or solid waste removal
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Do we have a choice?
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24. Thank you!
h-hornfeld@bluewin.ch
Dr. Howard Hornfeld
Fusion Advocates
Geneva, Switzerland
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25. Q & A
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26. Plasma in a Tokamak

27. Spherical Tokamak

28. Conclusions – TE Ltd (UK)
 Much work remains to be done, but there are
grounds for optimism
 ST25s will be used to work on diagnostics,
heating and current drive. Other labs are doing
similar things
 ST40 will demonstrate scaling on small, high
field, spherical tokamaks
 Manufacturers are rapidly improving HTS
performance at temperatures and higher fields

29. Conclusions – TE Ltd (UK) (cont’d)
 Joints with suitable performance have been
demonstrated
 Various cable designs are being developed
around the world
 Significant knowledge gaps remain around HTS
irradiation and magnet protection
 A combination of in-house development,
collaboration and a systematic approach will
progressively reduce technical risk, at minimum
cost and time