Logo
You're currently reading the news digest published from 18 December 2023 to 8 January 2024.
Featured (2)
Of interest (2)
Press (40)
Featured
Hydrogen.jpg

The hydrogen economy—brought to you by nuclear fusion?

Isotopes of hydrogen—deuterium and tritium—are the input for the fusion process. However what if, down the road, hydrogen could be an output of fusion power? What potential roles could nuclear fusion play in hydrogen production over the coming century? In order to achieve the deep decarbonization necessary for the global energy transition, hard-to-abate sectors must replace their use of fossil fuels with clean physical energy carriers. Of these, hydrogen is the most efficient, leading to predictions of the advent of the "hydrogen economy." However, despite the fact that hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, it rarely exists on earth in pure form. It therefore has to be produced. The vast majority of hydrogen produced today is "gray" hydrogen, or hydrogen produced using fossil fuels, typically with an end use as a chemical feedstock. Carbon-based hydrogen production, however, defeats the purpose of deep decarbonization. A variety of low-carbon hydrogen production methods exist, such as "green", "blue", and "pink" hydrogen, but all are in their industrial infancy. These methods will be necessary to meet ambitious hydrogen production goals such as Europe's REPowerEU initiative, which calls for 10 million tonnes of domestic hydrogen production and 10 million tonnes of imported hydrogen by 2030. However, in the long term, could fusion-produced hydrogen ultimately be the most effective energy source for hydrogen production? And conversely, could hydrogen production make nuclear fusion more economically attractive? Hydrogen production and nuclear fusion are inherently linked, as the majority of fusion processes use hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium, as their input fuel. For decades, scientists have considered that hydrogen could be an output of the fusion process, ever since a seminal study was published in 1980 by Manhattan Project veteran Meyer Steinberg. Today, as the fusion community works towards the achievement of a burning plasma, and hydrogen production ramps up to meet decarbonization goals, the possibility of fusion-produced hydrogen is more relevant than ever before. Why? Similarly to fusion electricity production, the process of making hydrogen with nuclear fusion would emit no CO2, would produce significantly lower-level and shorter-lived waste than pink hydrogen production, and would pose no risk of nuclear meltdown. Secondly, fusion's potential efficiency and resource abundancy make it a possible low-cost electricity option. If such cost-reducing factors could induce a mature fusion market to reach a levelized cost of electricity below USD50/MwHe, a 2021 study in the Journal of Fusion Energy indicated that fusion-produced hydrogen could become economically attractive. Finally, fusion-produced hydrogen would offer the possibility of energy sovereignty. Each country needs physical energy carriers for industry and transport, yet some countries are endowed with these natural resources, while others must rely on global markets to buy these necessary fuels. Fusion, on the other hand, could produce hydrogen with resources that are much more abundant and equitably distributed: deuterium and the lithium used to generate tritium. A fusion-backed hydrogen economy would not be defined by resource "haves and have-nots."   Complementarily, hydrogen production could offer an additional revenue stream for fusion installations. A nuclear fusion reactor would function as a baseload power source, providing a constant and dependable source of electricity for the grid. However, when electricity demand is lower (e.g., at night), a fusion plant with hydrogen production capabilities would be able to use electricity produced at these off-peak times for hydrogen production. Some recent fusion plant designs, such as the one recently published by Japan's National Industry for Fusion Science, include such electricity and hydrogen cogeneration abilities. These dual revenue streams could both de-risk and promise higher returns on investment in fusion plants, incentivizing commercial development of fusion power. Deep decarbonization: The process of replacing fossil fuel usage in hard-to-abate sectors. Hard-to-abate sectors: Sectors that cannot be easily electrified and that are instead reliant on physical fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas for operations. Examples include steel and cement production, long-distance transport, and petrochemical production. Hydrogen economy: An industrial system in which hydrogen becomes the dominant physical energy carrier, replacing fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas. Physical energy carrier: Any physical substance whose energy is convertible into physical or mechanical work. Chemical feedstock: A material used for the mass production of chemical products. Electrolysis: The process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Grey hydrogen: The process of using fossil fuels to produce hydrogen through steam methane reformation. Green hydrogen: The process of utilizing electricity generated from non-carbon sources for electrolysis. Blue hydrogen: The process of utilizing carbon-capture technology to limit emissions from hydrogen produced through steam methane reformation. Pink hydrogen: The process of using nuclear fission, either through electrolysis or thermochemical conversion, to produce hydrogen. Initial research has begun on the most effective method of producing hydrogen at a fusion plant. Three main possibilities exist: low-temperature electrolysis (using the electricity produced from the fusion process), high-temperature electrolysis (using the waste heat from the fusion reaction to make electrolysis more efficient), and thermochemical production (using the waste heat to induce a chemical conversion cycle to produce hydrogen). These same techniques are beginning to be implemented at hydrogen-producing fission plants. Given the similarity of thermal conditions, ongoing research in that field will have direct relevance for potential design choices of hydrogen-producing fusion plants. Of course, fusion-produced hydrogen is impossible until fusion itself reaches an industrial stage. Technical questions, such as whether tritium contamination can be kept at sufficiently low levels in fusion-produced hydrogen, and economic factors, such as whether fusion will offer a more cost-effective option than other renewable sources for hydrogen production, will have to be answered. Beyond fusion, the transport and storage of hydrogen must become more cost-effective for a hydrogen economy to become feasible. Despite the uncertainties, the potential benefits of a symbiotic relationship between fusion and hydrogen are sufficiently great to merit further study. Fusion could increase hydrogen production to levels that would help sustain a hydrogen economy, and using a hydrogen revenue stream could assist the widespread commercialization of fusion power, the "holy grail" of clean energy. If harnessing the synergies between these two forms of energy are able to mutually accelerate their industrial development, it would be a massive boon for humanity's efforts towards a zero-carbon future. Jack Moore, from the United States, spent six months as an intern in the ITER Communication Division. He is currently completing a Master's Degree in International Development at the Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs, with a particular focus on clean energy development in low- and middle-income countries.
CSM-4_2_small.jpg

Across land and sea

A fourth central solenoid module shipped by US ITER reached the ITER site in the last days of 2023. A 2,400-kilometre overland journey from the General Atomics factory in San Diego, California, to the Texas port of Houston; crossing the Atlantic into the Mediterranean, and riding a barge across the Berre inland sea, and finally a 104-kilometre road journey to the ITER site ... that's what it takes to deliver each of the seven "modules" (six plus one spare) that are needed to assemble the ITER central solenoid, an 18-metre-tall, 1,000-tonne electromagnet sitting at the centre of the machine. As the stacking and connecting of the first two modules progresses in the Assembly Hall, yet another one of these 110-tonne cylindrical components reached ITER in the early hours of 22 December 2023, bringing the total delivered to four.
Of interest

KSTAR aims for longer plasmas

https://www.iter.org/of-interest?id=1222
At the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE), the KSTAR tokamak recommenced operations in December after a major upgrade to replace the device's carbon divertor with a tungsten divertor. According to an article on the KFE website, the original carbon divertors could take a thermal load of 5MW/m², whereas the tungsten divertor can take 10MW/m². The upgrade is critical to the goal of sustaining a 100-million-degree plasma for 300 seconds by 2026. Data from the operational campaign will be directly relevant to ITER, which will operate a tungsten divertor under similar plasma conditions in terms of shape and structure. This testing campaign will continue through February 2024. Read more about the plans in this article in English on the KFE website, or in Korean in the Chosun Biz.

JET's final salvo

https://www.iter.org/of-interest?id=1220
From a UKAEA press release on 20 December 2023. Some 40 and a half years after its first pulse on 25 June 1983, JET delivered pulse number 105,842 on Tuesday 18 December 2023. UKAEA Chief Executive Officer, Prof Sir Ian Chapman, who was in attendance in JET's control room for the final plasma experiment, said: "This is the final milestone in JET's 40-year history. Those decades of research using JET by dedicated teams of scientists and engineers have played a critical role in accelerating the development of fusion energy." JET's final day of plasma continued to push scientific boundaries, firstly attempting an inverted plasma shape for the first time at Culham before deliberately aiming electrons at the inner wall to improve understanding of beam control and damage mechanisms. The findings of these experiments will support the development of ITER. JET will now move on to the next phase of its life cycle in early 2024 for repurposing and decommissioning, which will last until approximately 2040. JET was operated at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy as a Joint Undertaking of the European Community between 1977 and 2000, with the Euratom Research and Training program contributing approximately 80 percent of JET operation costs through 2021. Under the operation of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) since 2000, JET was used by 4,800 EUROfusion consortium experts, students and staff from across Europe. --The JET control room on the day of final plasma experiments. Photo: UKAEA/EUROfusion
Press

NSTX-U is poised to close the gaps between today's research tokamaks and tomorrow's commercial utilities

https://www.pppl.gov/news/2023/nstx-u-poised-close-gaps-between-today%E2%80%99s-research-tokamaks-and-tomorrow%E2%80%99s-commercial

JET delivers last plasma experiment

https://www.powerengineeringint.com/nuclear/jet-delivers-last-plasma-experiment/

New code developed for tokamak plasma rotation and transport analysis

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-code-tokamak-plasma-rotation-analysis.html#google_vignette

De race om de ontwikkeling van kernfusie is in volle gang: 'De lont zit nu in het kruitvat' (paywall)

https://www.ad.nl/economie/de-race-om-de-ontwikkeling-van-kernfusie-is-in-volle-gang-de-lont-zit-nu-in-het-kruitvat~af133374/

JET to be repurposed after delivering final plasma

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/newsjet-to-be-repurposed-after-delivering-final-plasma-11405916

China's new Fusion Energy Inc to pool national resources in push to build 'artificial sun'

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3247145/chinas-new-fusion-energy-inc-pool-national-resources-push-build-artificial-sun

[Vidéo] Un drone vous fait visiter tous les recoins du chantiers d'Iter

https://www.sfen.org/rgn/video-le-chantier-de-fusion-nucleaire-iter-vu-des-airs/

Fusion energy and the path to commercialization (video 2'27")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBf9VhLKUqg&t=2s

Sustained 'Artificial Sun' Promised by 2026 in Fusion Energy Upgrade

https://www.newsweek.com/sustained-artificial-sun-fusion-energy-1857042

[르포] 디지털 트윈 공간에 떠오르는 '인공태양'

https://www.sisaweek.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=210866

Opening the Magnetic Bottle of a Tokamak Causes Particles to Rush Inward

https://www.energy.gov/science/fes/articles/opening-magnetic-bottle-tokamak-causes-particles-rush-inward

Russian physicists test boron carbide as wall coating for ITER reactor

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/newsrussian-physicists-test-boron-carbide-as-wall-coating-for-iter-reactor-11406053

China Seeks Nuclear Fusion Leap Through New R&D Company (paywall)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-02/china-seeks-nuclear-fusion-leap-through-new-r-d-company

里程碑重大意义!中国聚变公司(筹)的成立意味着中国探索人类未来能源迈出前瞻性一步!A股将做如何反应?

https://xueqiu.com/5137704875/273095012

KSTAR, 태양의 심장이 될 준비를 하다

https://m.newspic.kr/view.html?nid=2023123118240088761&pn=105

2023's Top Stories About Energy Lots of love for batteries and fusion—and a couple of offbeat breakthroughs

https://spectrum.ieee.org/energy-news-top-stories-2023

[용의 해 밝히는 한국과학]① 섭씨 1억도 불 밝힐 K인공태양 "에너지 자립의 꿈 성큼"

https://biz.chosun.com/science-chosun/technology/2023/12/31/GOT5NDBPUBAXTFFA62IGQWSQFE/?utm_source=naver&utm_medium=original&utm_campaign=biz

日本の核融合開発・研究の現在地 ITER副機構長に聞く /上 (paywall)

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20231228/k00/00m/020/274000c

日本の核融合開発・研究の課題 ITER副機構長に聞く /下 (paywall)

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20231228/k00/00m/020/380000c

Korean Artificial Sun, KSTAR, installation of a tungsten divertor for long pulse operations

https://scienmag.com/korean-artificial-sun-kstar-installation-of-a-tungsten-divertor-for-long-pulse-operations/#google_vignette

Tungsten divertors to help Korean Artificial Sun to sustain 100m degrees

https://interestingengineering.com/science/tungsten-divertors-to-help-korean-artificial-sun-to-sustain-100m-degrees

2023 Ignited a New Era For Nuclear Fusion. 2024 Could Be Even Brighter

https://www.inverse.com/science/best-innovation-2023-nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-ignition-gain-of-1

核融合発電、再生エネとコスト競争 脱炭素電源には時間 (paywall)

https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGKKZO77259090V21C23A2EP0000/

Japan sets up nuclear fusion industry forum to bring tech to market

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Energy/Japan-sets-up-nuclear-fusion-industry-forum-to-bring-tech-to-market

L'extraordinaire chantier du réacteur à fusion nucléaire Iter filmé par drone

https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/l-extraordinaire-chantier-du-reacteur-a-fusion-nucleaire-iter-filme-par-drone.N2205505

JET retires - after 40 years and 105,929 pulses

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/JET-retires-after-40-years-and-105,842-pulses

ORNL to lead project on remote maintenance and repair for fusion power plants

https://www.ornl.gov/news/ornl-lead-project-remote-maintenance-and-repair-fusion-power-plants

В Новосибирске испытали материал для стенок термоядерного реактора

https://www.nsk.kp.ru/online/news/5602024/

Alfvén-Preis für IPP-Direktor Per Helander

https://www.ipp.mpg.de/5394719/alfven_helander_2023

IPP Director Per Helander receives the Alfvén Prize

https://www.ipp.mpg.de/5394797/alfven_helander_2023?c=14226

Pioneering JET delivers final plasma

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pioneering-jet-delivers-final-plasma

Neue Ausgabe des ASDEX Upgrade-Newsletters erschienen

https://www.ipp.mpg.de/5392393/aug-letter-25

New edition of the ASDEX Upgrade Letter released

https://www.ipp.mpg.de/5392462/aug-letter-25?c=14226

The DOE is set on "building bridges" to a fusion energy future

https://www.ans.org/news/article-5626/the-doe-is-set-on-building-bridges-to-a-fusion-energy-future/

UK boosts fusion energy development with funding for lithium tech

https://www.powerengineeringint.com/nuclear/uk-boosts-fusion-energy-development-with-funding-for-lithium-tech/

Scientists successfully replicate historic nuclear fusion breakthrough three times

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/20/climate/nuclear-fusion-energy-breakthrough-replicate-climate/index.html

WEST Newsletter n°30

https://irfm.cea.fr/Phocea/Vie_des_labos/News/index.php?id_news=1986

STARMAKERS: The Energy of Tomorrow (documentary to rent)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/placeholder_title/dp/B0CKN4CJ2S

Nuclear fusion enters 'new era' after major breakthrough for near-limitless clean energy

https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-clean-energy-b2466344.html

Fusion nucléaire et fission nucléaire : quelles différences ?

https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/fondamental/fusion-nucleaire-et-fission-nucleaire-quelles-differences_175677