Overview

Nuclear fusion holds the promise of essentially unlimited fuel, no greenhouse gas emissions, short-lived radioactive waste, and inherent safety. Fusion power could be put on the grid without a massive overhaul in conventional electricity storage and distribution. But commercial fusion, initially thought to be "50 years away," is still several decades away despite the US fusion program being nearly 60 years old. Why has it taken so long to reach the holy grail and what is the current road-map to success? This talk will be a basic overview of the technology behind fusion and challenges that lie ahead, with a focus on the tokamak-type reactors. MIT's own tokamak will be introduced, as well as ITER, the massive international tokamak to be built in France.

Lunch will be provided. No RSVP necessary.

Handouts

Download the presentation slides from this Energy 101 Lecture.

NEW! View the lecture follow-up video, where the speaker addresses some of the most important aspects of the lecture in an 8-minute footage.

Nuclear Fusion

12:00-01:00PM Monday, August 09, 2010
Leader: Andrea Schmidt
Location: 2-136