World energy issues and advanced nuclear fusion

Transcription

1 World energy issues and advanced nuclear fusion Massimo Zucchetti Energy Department Politecnico di Torino (Italy) MIT - Cambridge (MA) USA GREDIT Skopje 1

2 This talk is dedicated to my friend, prof. dr. Fokion Vosniakos Condolence from my wife Elena 2

3 Interdisciplinary thinking is necessary in modern research, due to four major drivers": 1. The inherent complexity of nature; 2. Exploring problems that are not limited to a single discipline; 3. The need to solve the problems of our Society, that is complex too; and 4. The power of new technologies. 3

4 An interdisciplinary approach is necessary to solve the energy problem in the Twenty-First Century too.. The situation of the energy issue will be briefly outlined, showing how an interdisciplinary approach is probably necessary to sketch out a solution. A case study regarding nuclear fusion energy will be discussed 4

5 2020 5

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7 2010 7

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11 In the twenty-first century, energy is no longer just a technical issue. In science, the discipline that studies energy has rapidly expanded its sphere of competence. The issue of energy includes environment, society, dissemination and availability of information, politics. 11

12 Two actions are recommendable: 1. Simple solutions, that aim to reduce the growth of energy needs in developing countries, focusing on efficiency, savings and conversion, and that will lead to the reduction of social and geographical disparities in its availability and its use. 2. Most advanced technological innovation, aimed to seek new sources of energy and hightech energy-intensive approach, to be pursued in developed countries. 12

13 In the twenty-first century the large flows of masses, fuels and materials, needing massive transportation, causing high pollution, belong to past scenarios. The two guiding concepts to be kept in mind when looking for new energy sources 1. The equivalent of Einstein's mass-energy 2. The imitation of energetics of living beings 13

14 Future predictions are all consistent, besides of certain scenarios variables, in predicting a trend towards: Growing energy demands, Depletion of fossil fuels, An issue about security of supply Increasing environmental concerns 14

15 The current energy economy based on fossil fuels is not sustainable in the long term. Alternatives must be concrete, and able to withstand the economic, environmental and social issues that provide the current boundary conditions. One solution to the energy problem does not exist. Instead, there are sets of solutions, appropriate to specific local context, including a mix of energy sources and technologies, to guarantee a real lasting and sustainable energy development. 15

16 Global figures are impressive: in our world: billion have no access to electricity, another 1 billion have no access to reliable electricity networks, 2.8 billion rely on biomass for domestic needs, 2.4 billion do not have access to basic health services, 1 billion lack access to safe drinking water, 0.85 billion have no access to primary education, 0.80 billion suffer from chronic malnutrition 16

17 The Energy isuue is strictly connected to the issues of Water, Food, Health, and to the issue of Resources : these are systemic issues as far as skills and technology are concerned, and require studies on local environmental and social aspects, not just technical. The interdisciplinary scientific research on energy must pursue innovation on one side and simple solutions on the other side. Scientific research becomes a tool to overcome geographic boundaries (technological, cultural, social) that restrict human development 17

18 The energy issue may be solved with four main actions: 1. Rational use of energy 2. Abandonment of a development model based on endless growth 3. Equalization of per capita consumption in the world 4. The fourth point - useless without the other three ones - is innovation and development of new sources of energy. 18

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20 Nuclear energy can be a mid-term solution for energy issues in industrially developed countries Its feasibility depends on several factors including: solution to the waste management problem economic viability of new plants safety of old reactors fight against nuclear proliferation policies to combat global warming retaining necessary technical expertise 20

21 The essential question is the following: Seeing that nuclear energy is one of the elements in the debate on tackling climate change and energy autonomy, how can the World Community find a solution to the problem of nuclear waste, reinforcing nuclear safety and developing research into reactors of the future, and fusion power? 21

22 Nuclear fusion is seen as a much cleaner energy source than fission. However, the attractive safety and environmental potential of fusion can be fully realised by a design that puts at first place the reduction of radioactive hazards Materials neutron-induced radioactivity and tritium inventory are weak points of fusion.

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24 Main disadvantages/problems of D-He3 1. The availability of 3 He (almost absent on Earth, must be mined on the Moon) 2. The attainment of higher plasma parameters, required for burning, than D-T.

25 Where is Helium-3?

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27 Advantages of D-He3 No need to breed and fuel tritium. No need for a breeding blanket. No radioactive fuel. Possibility to obtain electrical power by direct energy conversion of protons, avoiding to produce electrical power indirectly, via the usual heating of a thermo vector fluid (such as water of liquid metal) and its use in a thermodynamic cycle with a turbine

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29 Candor Towards a DHe3 fusion reactor The Candor experiment is aiming to a power reactor using a D-He3 fuel cycle.

30 Candor: Any Radioactive Waste? The quantity and quality of radioactive waste from the machine operation and decommissioning has been estimated. No Candor spent material will need to be disposed of as permanent waste in underground repositories. All materials may be recycled, if convenient, after a short interim decay.

31 Waste management study - Results Component Material Time to become NAW Internal Toroidal Magnets Cu Less than 20 years Transformer Coils Cu Less than 10 years External Toroidal Magnets Cu Less than 1 year Structure (C-Clamp) AISI 316 Less than 1 year TOTAL WASTE ZERO, after 20 y (100% Non Active Waste)

32 Advantages of D-He3 - Conclusion The inherent cost of a fusion power reactor will hardly make it competitive with fission reactors from the economic viewpoint: a clear environmental excellence must be one of the strong points to make fusion competitive. At the long term, this excellence can be obtained by means of D-He3 reactors. Since: we do not find in a fusion power reactor with D-He3 plasmas any similarity left with nuclear fission reactors.

33 Advantages of D-He3 - Conclusion A fusion power reactor based on the D-He3 cycle could be the ultimate response to the environmental requirements for future nuclear power plants to be used in developed countries.

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