Unleashing the Potential of Fusion Energy: EPFL’s Three-Decade Quest

EPFL’s Swiss Plasma Center, a pioneering force in nuclear fusion research, employs a distinctive tokamak reactor for plasma behavior investigation. Their mission? To unlock sustainable, carbon-neutral electricity generation through fusion, addressing enduring concerns about radioactive waste.

Back in 1961, well before the energy crisis and climate change alarms sounded, EPFL embarked on a quest for a clean, secure, and seemingly boundless energy source. The Plasma Physics Laboratory, now the Swiss Plasma Center, was established, and by 1992, a variable-configuration tokamak reactor was operational. Today, EPFL stands at the forefront of nuclear fusion research, striving to replicate celestial reactions right here on Earth.

Fusion: The Cosmic Power Source

Within stars like our Sun, immense heat and pressure drive the fusion of atoms, predominantly hydrogen, into heavier nuclei, a process that releases enormous energy following Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc². This phenomenon fuels stars, flooding the universe with boundless energy.

On Earth, scientists can already initiate nuclear fusion reactions. However, the global challenge lies in sustaining these reactions continuously and efficiently harnessing the released energy for electricity generation. EPFL engineers have chosen to focus on a method involving a torus-shaped magnetic confinement reactor known as a tokamak. This approach entails heating deuterium gas (a hydrogen isotope) to a staggering 100 million degrees Celsius, transforming it into a plasma that enables highly energetic collisions between deuterium nuclei. Magnetic fields within the tokamak suspend the plasma in the vacuum chamber, preventing it from contacting the chamber walls.

The Swiss Plasma Center: Spearheading European Fusion Research

With a team comprising approximately 200 researchers and students, the Swiss Plasma Center initiated its variable-configuration tokamak project three decades ago. Thanks to its unique design, this experimental reactor has emerged as a pivotal nuclear fusion research facility in Europe.

Basil Duval, a senior scientist involved in the tokamak’s measurement systems, proudly notes that the Swiss Plasma Center’s research garners international recognition. This recognition is partly due to its contributions to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project and the valuable insights it provides to the broader nuclear fusion research community. The fact that a country as modest in size as Switzerland hosts a facility of this caliber is truly remarkable, according to Duval.

In September, as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of its tokamak, the Swiss Plasma Center will host representatives from the EUROfusion consortium. This consortium is instrumental in various nuclear fusion initiatives, including advancing ITER’s physics basis and enhancing its chances of success through experimentation, such as on the TCV tokamak. Ambrogio Fasoli, director of the Swiss Plasma Center and chair of EUROfusion, has recently been appointed the consortium’s program manager. He emphasizes the vital role the TCV plays in advancing our understanding of plasma behavior and its contributions to fusion energy’s development.

EPFL’s Unique Tokamak Approach

EPFL’s tokamak distinguishes itself as a “variable configuration” reactor, permitting scientists to examine how alterations in plasma configuration impact properties like temperature and confinement quality. It serves as a platform to assess different divertor configurations, critical for sustaining plasma without damaging the reactor; their design optimization remains an ongoing pursuit. Collaborating with Google DeepMind, the Swiss Plasma Center has devised a novel magnetic control method for plasmas based on deep reinforcement learning, successfully applying it to real-world plasma configurations within the TCV tokamak.

Similar to other tokamaks, EPFL’s version features a vacuum chamber where gas transforms into plasma. Surrounding this chamber are toroidal magnetic fields, generated by substantial magnetic coils, preventing plasma-wall contact. An essential central column with ohmic coils maintains plasma stability, while a poloidal field shapes plasma configuration. The reactor incorporates a heating system employing microwaves and hot-particle injection, complemented by an extensive array of instruments measuring crucial parameters like temperature, density, radiation, and plasma configuration fluctuations.

In future fusion power plants, the heat produced by plasma fusion will drive turbines, akin to current nuclear fission reactors, generating substantial, reliable baseload electricity. This process offers sustainability and carbon neutrality, all while circumventing the issue of long-lasting radioactive waste.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Fusion Energy Research

More about Fusion Energy Research

• EPFL Swiss Plasma Center
• International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)
• EUROfusion Consortium
• Google DeepMind Collaboration with Swiss Plasma Center
• Nuclear Fusion vs. Nuclear Fission
• Fusion Energy Basics
• Swiss Plasma Center 30th Anniversary