What would happen if we could harness the reactionary power used by the sun and stars here on Earth? Well, we might know the answer soon as researchers at Tokamak Energy, a UK-based company, are turning that idea into a reality with their fusion reactor. 

Background 

Tokamak Energy was established in 2009 as a spin-out from Culham Laboratory, the world-leading center for magnetic fusion energy research. Today, they are a private company working to develop compact fusion power. Harnessing fusion energy —that which is used by the sun and stars — could provide a plentiful source of energy here on Earth. The best part? It would use only a small amount of fuel while producing no carbon dioxide. 

More on Fusion Energy

In order to harness fusion energy outside of space, you have to add enough heat and pressure to hydrogen atoms that they fuse together to form helium. While this is happening, some of the hydrogen mass is transformed into heat, and can then be used to make electricity. The difficulty in mimicking this process on Earth is not knowing how to contain the plasma that is made as a result. Since you have to heat the hydrogen isotopes to hundreds of millions of degrees, they become so energetic that they break apart into plasma, which is hard to contain. The sun and stars use gravity to contain it in space, but here on Earth scientists are employing powerful magnetic fields instead. 

Using Magnets and Magnetic Fields

The biggest engineering challenge with re-creating fusion energy is in building the necessary magnets. The magnets must be strong enough to contain the plasma, but not use more electricity than the reactor needs to generate it. Dr. Bob Mumgaard and his team at Commonwealth Fusion Systems are currently testing a solution —a 10 ton, D-shaped magnet made by shaping approximately 300km of a very special electromagnetic tape. The tape has taken years to develop and deposits thin layers of superconducting rare-earth barium copper oxide onto metal tape. When cooled, the tape can efficiently conduct enough electricity to power a small town.  This milestone in magnet technology is central to the Tokamak fusion project and integral to the race to commercialization of fusion energy across the globe. 

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