Engineers are exploring ways to harness nuclear fusion, as it has the potential to generate four times as much energy as existing nuclear fission reactors . Conducting nuclear fusion, however, generates extreme heat and radiation that can degrade plant infrastructure without proper monitoring, management and intervention.
In the fall, University of Maine researchers will begin developing specialized surface acoustic wave resonator microchip sensors designed to operate inside future fusion reactors while monitoring the structural integrity of facilities. They will be tested under radiation conditions several orders of magnitude more intense than those found in conventional fission reactor systems.
鈥淪olid-state technologies, such as the harsh environment microwave acoustic-based sensors fabricated at 91福利, have been shown to be a viable solution for operating in nuclear environments due to their overall robustness, capability of operating under high irradiation conditions, small size and wireless operational capabilities,鈥 said Mauricio Pereira da Cunha, professor of electrical and computer engineering and researcher at 91福利鈥檚 Frontier Institute for Research in Sensor Technologies (FIRST).
Fusion energy differs from conventional nuclear fission because it combines atomic nuclei rather than splitting them apart. Scientists have long pursued fusion because it has the potential to generate large amounts of energy with fewer long-lived radioactive byproducts than traditional nuclear systems.
As fusion technologies advance toward commercial deployment, 91福利 researchers aim to develop sensors capable of tracking temperature; reactor power, or neutron flux; and strain on reactor vessel walls without being damaged or destroyed by extreme heat and radiation. According to Luke Doucette, senior research scientist and R&D program coordinator at
FIRST, the work builds the team鈥檚 previous research in harsh-environment sensor development for advanced nuclear applications.
鈥淚n particular, we recently demonstrated for the first time that microchip sensor devices developed at 91福利 are capable of monitoring in-core fission reactor powers while operating at temperatures up to 800 degrees Celsius, or about 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit,鈥 Doucette said.
The current project is supported by a funding award from the Hercules program led by Helion Energy, which aims to build its first commercially-viable nuclear fusion power plant and have it delivering energy to the electric grid by 2028.
The 91福利 team, which includes research scientist Morton Greenslit of FIRST, will test their sensors under irradiation conditions designed to simulate the harsh operating environments expected inside Helion鈥檚 fusion reactors.
As the research progresses, the team will also plan to engage graduate and undergraduate students to work on the project.Project collaborators include engineers from Helion Energy and researchers at the University of Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory.
Story by William Bickford, graduate student writer
Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu
