“I’m working on the blanket because for me that’s where the rubber meets the road,” says Sorensen. The purpose of this blanket is threefold: to convert the kinetic energy of fusion neutrons to heat for eventual electricity production to produce tritium - a main component of the fusion fuel and to prevent the neutrons from reaching other parts of the machine and causing material damage. Sorensen is studying a key element of the fusion pilot plant: the liquid immersion blanket, essentially a flowing pool of molten salt that completely surrounds the fusion energy core. I see many exciting opportunities for collaboration,” she says. “There is the plasma physics and magnet technology side of things - but there are also engineering challenges where people like me can play an important role in making fusion plants significantly better in design. This is where Sorensen and colleagues are helping to perfect the design and economics of compact fusion power plants. Meanwhile Eni has also funded additional fusion research projects run out of PSFC’s newly created Laboratory for Innovation in Fusion Technologies (LIFT).

The Italian energy company Eni, a founding member of the MIT Energy Initiative, invested $50 million in CFS, which is funding fusion research at MIT as part of a joint collaboration focused on rapidly commercializing fusion energy and establishing a new industry. In order to fast track an innovative solution, MIT announced plans last March to work with a new private company, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), to carry out rapid, staged research leading to a new generation of fusion experiments and power plants based on advances in high-temperature superconductors. “People are super excited about the future of fusion, and there is this vibe of positivity and hopefulness that what we’re doing is really going to make a difference.”įusion technology has long held the promise of producing safe, abundant, carbon-free electricity but a pivotal challenge exists: Researchers must create and harness fusion reactions to produce net energy gain. “There are a few of us from other areas who are jumping over here,” says Sorensen, who earned a master’s degree at MIT in a MechE lab but is based at the PSFC for doctorate work. Many of the researchers at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) are plasma physicists and nuclear engineering researchers, she says, but not all. This is exactly the kind of project that I came to MIT hoping to find.” “Plus this work holds the possibility of making a huge impact on the world. “There are a lot of cool things to be done from a technical perspective,” she says. “People are super excited about the future of fusion, and there is this vibe of positivity and hopefulness that what we’re doing is really going to make a difference,' she says. MIT graduate student Caroline Sorensen earned a master’s degree at MIT in a MechE lab but is based at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center for doctorate work.

Caroline klib mit