Preface
News about breakthroughs in nuclear fusion always reverberates in the field of science and technology, especially at the end of 2022, when the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) experiment in the United States successfully ignited a coveted "fusion star", allowing the world to see the possibility of human beings breaking through traditional nuclear fusion.
But how did such a high cost come about in this difficult, costly experiment, and how much do people expect a clean and safe energy revolution from controlled fusion?
Can it really help humanity get rid of the threat of greenhouse gases and curb global warming?
What are the prospects for the success of this experiment?
1. What exactly is controlled nuclear fusion?
Controlled nuclear fusion is a technological goal that mankind has been pursuing for a long time, and it is also a development direction to get rid of traditional nuclear fission energy sources.
Unlike nuclear fusion, in nuclear fusion, two atomic nuclei will be combined by the collision of energetic particles, releasing a huge amount of energy, which is also the main source of energy for stars such as the sun.
Depending on the composition of matter in the universe, the original universe contained only protons and neutrons, but in extremely hot media, these protons and neutrons are subjected to vibrations and collisions, which also form tritium and helium.
Inside the Sun, this tritium continues to collide with protons, eventually condensing into helium and releasing energy.
Due to the natural conditions of high temperature and pressure in the sun's interior, this reaction can be achieved at a temperature of nearly 10 million degrees Celsius, and humans are looking for more controllable methods.
Stable and controlled nuclear fusion requires higher temperatures and pressures, as well as overcoming the repulsion of homonuclei.
In addition, nuclear fusion requires very clean and energetic reactive materials to overcome other energy losses.
The sheer complexity of the task has also delayed mankind in finding the ideal way to achieve controlled nuclear fusion.
2. Is a few pots of water worth $3.5 billion?
The news of the success of the LLNL experiment has caused quite a stir in the scientific community, but this is not the first time that this experiment has been carried out.
In 1970, confident scientists predicted that mankind would succeed in achieving controlled nuclear fusion within 20 years.
As the research continued, this time was constantly delayed and turned into a "forever in 30 years" meme.
Why is it that controllable nuclear fusion has been highly anticipated like a dream of "coming true"?
Nuclear fusion not only produces a huge amount of clean energy, but also prevents the misuse of controlled fusion reactors to develop nuclear weapons.
Reactive materials for controlled fusion are also relatively safe to handle and reduce environmental impact.
And because they are prone to chain reactions, such reactors are also more reliable in terms of safety, making them a reasonable option compared to nuclear fission.
However, all this is under the premise that mankind has successfully achieved controlled nuclear fusion.
From a technical point of view, controlled fusion is much more difficult than nuclear fission, leaving scientists with many challenges.
In LLNL's experiments, the laser beam instrument for controlled fusion cost more than $3.5 billion, and this is only the ignition stage of nuclear fusion, and there are also upfront preparation and longer maintenance costs, making the technology very expensive.
Thankfully, this experiment has made remarkable progress.
In previous experiments, it was often difficult for experimenters to obtain energy output for humans, but in this LLNL experiment, the researchers achieved a positive energy gain by measuring the reaction products of successful ignition.
The goal was to "burn" very little fusion fuel using the 2.05 megajoules of energy transferred to the reactor, producing 10 times the target input energy of 31.5 megajoules and achieving an energy gain of 153%.
This result allows mankind to see the dawn of energy gain through controlled nuclear fusion for the first time, providing a rapid possibility for the development of clean energy.
This breakthrough not only brought clear results to everyone, but also provided scientists with many directions that can be discussed and optimized.
In 2018, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a supercomputer that studies controlled nuclear fusion, successfully simulated the path of ignition, how to control the plasma for more energy and longer operation.
For scientists, this will help them better understand the technology and give hope for its optimization.
However, scientists will need more time and investment before they can actually put this technology into practice.
3. Can controlled nuclear fusion become the "engine" of clean energy?
Although the successful ignition of this nuclear fusion is only a small step, it is also a huge leap forward in the field of human exploration of high-energy physics.
It opens up new possibilities for the realization of clean energy, and in the future, with the successful application of nuclear fusion technology, perhaps our household appliances can be used for decades more.
Looking to the future, can controlled nuclear fusion become an "engine" that really has a lot to do in terms of environmental protection?
In general, controlled nuclear fusion is much cleaner than conventional combustion, and the fuel for nuclear fusion comes from seawater, producing no nuclear waste and emitting greenhouse gases during power generation.
Still, there are some challenges that can be faced if controlled fusion is to contribute to environmental protection.
The first is the practical application of controlled nuclear fusion.
Despite the success in the laboratory, how to apply this technology to the real world to ensure its stable and efficient operation is still a huge problem.
The second is the economics of achieving controlled nuclear fusion.
Current experiments still rely on expensive equipment and a large number of personnel, and a large amount of investment and technology research and development are required to achieve large-scale commercial use.
Finally, we also need to address the safety of controlled nuclear fusion.
How to ensure the safe operation of reactors and avoid accidents similar to nuclear fission during large-scale commercial controlled nuclear fusion is still an unsolved problem.
However, as technology continues to evolve, it is believed that these challenges will be solved in the near future.
The author thinks
While controlled fusion still faces many challenges, it certainly offers endless possibilities for our future.
With controlled nuclear fusion technology, we may soon be able to move away from fossil fuels and achieve clean, safe and efficient energy production and utilization.
With controlled fusion technology, we may soon be able to solve the energy crisis once and for all, providing a sustained impetus for economic development and social progress on a global scale.
With controlled nuclear fusion technology, we may soon be able to fully address the challenge of global warming and contribute more to the sustainable development of the planet.
The future of this technology is full of infinite possibilities, and I believe that in the near future, we can see it bring a brighter tomorrow to human society.