A study of fusion energy

• Main Author: Lee, Wei Zhi
• Other Authors: Ong Keng Sian, Vincent
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/67437
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Fusion energy holds the key to a new source of energy in the future with limitless sustainability fuel, clean and most importantly, readily available. This study aims to find out more about the technologies that had been used for experiments and those which have led to the development of the current fusion technology. The leading technology for fusion currently is the use of magnetic confinement method to contain the fusion plasma using superconducting magnets and well-designed fusion reactors. This is by far the most efficient way of conducting fusion and has been constantly developed since fusion started. The secondary method that has been used for experimenting fusion is the inertial confinement method which uses high powered laser to heat the fuel so rapidly that fusion happen before the natural repulsion force moves the fuel apart. The hybrid of the two, magnetized inertial confinement method uses both and has shown some potential. In fusion energy, the fuel selection is directly linked to the amount of energy output and some fuel used can be radioactive, either as an input or the output it produces. It will be discussed in this report which fuel has the best energy output and which is the best for fusion overall. The method of fusion production and the fuel that fusion can use will be summarized at the end indicating the best potential with the current technology at the time of this writing.