Government nuclear fusion scientists think that by predicting particle movement inside a fascinating machine called a stellarator, they can unlock unlimited energy that's safe and reliable.
But tapping the same process that powers the sun — using magnets, plasma, and high heat — requires an unfathomable amount of data, according to a news release from the U.S. Energy Department published by SciTechDaily.
That's why they honed the information being gathered to a specific metric: how fast particles are moving from magnetic fields. This reduced the endless computing needed to predict particle movement generally.
"This number has a consistent relationship with how well the magnetic fields are confining the plasma," per the report.
Fusion reactions create energy when two atoms collide to create a new one. It's different from fission happening at the country's 54 nuclear plants, which splits atoms during collision. They produce about 19% of America's electricity, per government data. Fission also creates long-lasting nuclear waste. Fusion doesn't.
Neither forms release heat-trapping air pollution. That's why the powerful energy source is so promising for our crucial transition to cleaner electricity generation. Experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that worst-case scenarios of unfettered planet warming include more intense wildfires and extreme weather, already increasing in severity.
Anyone following nuclear energy is likely tuned into the regular headlines from around the world regarding fusion breakthroughs. The reports are often about tokamaks, the other common, magnet-laden, and donut-shaped plasma container.
The experts from Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory think that stellarators, with coiled magnets that make twisting fields, are superior. And they have already made news for research progress. Stellarators also have a flexible design and require less power to form a reaction. The goal is to sustain operations by making more energy than the setup uses.
The big hurdle is that the machine can't hold heat well and has a hard time confining "the most energetic particles in the plasma," according to the experts. It's a must-fix problem for stellarators to be commercialized.
That's where the predictive particle computations enter the scene, formulated to help the researchers align the magnets to produce the best possible containment field. While this process has been used in similar settings, it's unique to the stellarator type being studied at Princeton, per the summary.
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Definitely 💰 "The team was able to develop a number of different possible plasma configurations that would lose fewer energetic particles," the experts wrote.
Computer power, while an energy hog, is providing powerful insight for multiple settings. Google is using artificial intelligence to predict the weather with astounding accuracy. Major League Baseball teams are even predicting player performance and injury likelihood in an effort to win more games, according to Medium.
At home, you can tap the latest tech when upgrading your appliances and devices. Smart thermostats and other products can help you reduce waste and cut your utility bills. Most of the gadgets can be monitored with apps on your smartphone.
If Princeton's team can unlock star power through stellarators, the reactors could provide abundant, cleaner energy like never before. The scientists are working with experts from Wisconsin, Auburn, and Germany on the project.
"Eventually, it could enable stellarators to be a viable option for commercial fusion power," the experts wrote, per SciTechDaily.
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