Fusion energy is generated when the nuclei of light elements combine to form nuclei of heavier elements, with an overall change in mass. The energy resulting from the change is enormous and follows Albert Einstein’s famous E=mc2equation.
Since atomic nuclei are positively charged, with their electrostatic repulsion increasing as they approach each other, fusion occurs only under extreme conditions, like those that exist in the sun and other stars.
This presentation provides a fundamental, qualitative understanding of nuclear fusion and outlines the two principal approaches that are being pursued with the ultimate objective of commercial fusion energy production: magnetic and inertial confinement of plasmas. The key objective of achieving energy output, which exceeds energy input (i.e., to create the conditions of making fusion occur) over extended periods of time, has not yet been met, but success is close. The scientific and engineering challenges are identified, with a focus on areas that require important innovation and where Canada can play major roles.
Fusion energy work is occurring world-wide, at more than 130 active sites, the largest of which is ITER, the multi-national fusion experimental facility currently in the advanced stage of construction in Southern France. Canada is presently not broadly engaged in fusion development although there are important pockets of strengths in General Fusion, a company headquartered in British Columbia, and several Canadian universities and laboratories.
Fusion energy holds the promise of essentially carbon-free energy production on a large scale and without major nuclear hazards, long-lived radioactive wastes, and nuclear proliferation risks. The benefits of fusion energy (principally in the form of electricity) to Canada’s major resource industries, including petroleum, steel, cement, and forest products are outlined.
The presentation concludes with a call for Canadian governments, the private sector, universities, and research organizations to engage in fusion development and applications at home and abroad. The benefits regarding mitigation of climate change and the creation of high-quality jobs will be immense.
Dr. Axel Meisen
Dr. Axel Meisen advises boards and senior management in Canada and abroad on strategy development and implementation of major initiatives with long-term time horizons. Examples are projects on The Global North, Bitumen Beyond Combustion (a recent set of projects focused on making non-combustion products from oilsands bitumen), Solid Waste Management in the Capital Regional District of British Columbia, and Environmental Technology and Management in Saudi Arabia. He has been involved in the conceptualization of fusion and fission energy strategies and applications for more than a decade. He was appointed Interim President of the Fusion Energy Council of Canada in January 2021 and President in September 2021.
Axel held the inaugural Chair in Foresight at the Alberta Research Council, after serving as president of Memorial University of Newfoundland, president of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and dean of Applied Science and professor of Chemical Engineering at The University of British Columbia where he is now a Professor Emeritus. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2008. He is a Professional Engineer, registered in British Columbia, and he is a Fellow and past president of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
Axel holds degrees in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London (BSc, 1965), California Institute of Technology (MSc, 1966), and McGill University (PhD, 1970).