Derek Sutherland

Fusion energy holds the promise of virtually limitless, highly dispatchable, clean power production. Its realization could disrupt the energy sector, providing emissions-free energy. A critical piece to achieving that goal is the ability to efficiently heat plasma to fusion temperatures at the required densities and maintain plasma stability for long enough periods within a system that has a pathway toward market competitiveness.

CTFusion is developing an early-stage approach to a… Mehr zeigen

Fusion energy holds the promise of virtually limitless, highly dispatchable, clean power production. Its realization could disrupt the energy sector, providing emissions-free energy. A critical piece to achieving that goal is the ability to efficiently heat plasma to fusion temperatures at the required densities and maintain plasma stability for long enough periods within a system that has a pathway toward market competitiveness.

CTFusion is developing an early-stage approach to a commercially viable fusion power plant. The company will pursue higher performance in a compact fusion configuration called a spheromak through targeted upgrades of an existing plasma system. The project aims to demonstrate the required physical parameters, engineering performance, and scalability of the team's fusion concept toward an eventual electricity-producing, economical fusion power plant. CTFusion plans to 1) provide an integrated demonstration of its novel plasma sustainment method called imposed-dynamo current drive (IDCD) and 2) confirm the scalability of spheromaks sustained with IDCD toward eventual power plant conditions. Fusion energy has the potential to be a game-changing energy source that is plentiful, safe, and environmentally friendly, producing no harmful emissions. It could work together with renewable energy technologies to provide an economic, clean, and secure energy solution.

If successful, this project will establish a pathway toward commercial fusion power that could revolutionize electrical energy markets by enabling the deployment of this economical, clean, safe, secure, on-demand energy source. Weniger anzeigen

Published in Fusion Engineering and Design on April 18, 2014.

D.A. Sutherland, et al., The dynomak: An advanced spheromak reactor concept with imposed-dynamo current drive and next-generation nuclear power technologies, Fusion Eng. Des. 89 (2014) 412-425, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2014.03.072

• Participated in MIT Course 22.033 Nuclear Systems Design Project involving LBE-cooled reactor coupled to hydrogen and biofuels plants for production of biodiesel and biogasoline.
• Brought design to final stage of 2012 ANS Student Design Competition.