REBCO: The Wonder Material Paving the Way to Limitless Energy

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A revolutionary material known as rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) is being utilized by an Oxfordshire-based company for its superconducting properties, with the aim of making nuclear fusion a feasible energy source. In a lab, a black disc of this wonder material hovers over a bubbling bath of liquid nitrogen, showcasing its potential.

 

"This is superconducting magnetic levitation," explains magnet scientist Greg Brittles. "The closest you'll get to magic in the real world." Indeed, it appears magical.

 

REBCO, a ceramic-like substance, remains suspended half a centimetre above a strip of copper. When poked, it resists movement, and when pushed, it spins indefinitely without stopping.

 

REBCO is a superconductor, a material with near-zero electrical resistance, though most superconductors require extreme cold to activate their properties. REBCO stands out because it becomes superconducting at a relatively mild minus 200 degrees Celsius (minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit), the temperature of liquid nitrogen, making it far more practical.

 

For magnet scientists like Greg Brittles, REBCO's role in high-temperature superconductors (HTS) is crucial in advancing nuclear fusion, a process that could offer near-limitless, zero-carbon electricity using naturally abundant elements. Despite its promise, nuclear fusion has been elusive since the 1950s.

 

The challenge lies in replicating the Sun's nuclear fusion on Earth, which requires creating and harnessing a plasma of heavy hydrogen isotopes like deuterium and tritium. This plasma must reach temperatures ten times hotter than the Sun to induce fusion, and it must be contained without touching any surface to avoid cooling and collapsing.

 

This is where powerful magnets come into play. "HTS magnets allow us to go to stronger magnetic fields than have ever been possible before," Brittles says. "And they allow us to do it in more compact devices."

 

Greg is a lead scientist at Tokamak Energy, a company shortlisted by the UK government to build the Spherical Tokamak for Electricity Production (STEP), a demonstration fusion reactor intended to supply electricity to the national grid.

 

Fusion scientists use doughnut-shaped vessels called tokamaks lined with powerful magnets to create magnetic "bottles" that contain and compress the plasma, forcing fusion to occur. Until now, tokamaks required enormous and costly magnets and cooling systems.

 

HTS magnets, using REBCO, are expected to make STEP smaller, cheaper, and easier to modify. A thin layer of REBCO bonded to copper tape, wound hundreds of times with 1,000 amps of current, is key. Greg presents DEMO-4, a prototype magnetic bottle ready for testing.

 

"This is, without doubt, the most advanced HTS magnet that's ever been built and it's going to tell us more than has ever been known about how to build these properly," Brittles asserts.

 

DEMO-4 is anticipated to serve as a prototype for STEP, set to be constructed on the site of a disused power station in Nottinghamshire, with the goal of generating power by 2040.

 

Based on a report by Sky News 2025-01-21

 

 

 

[Purdey]

Fusion always seems to be close. 

[Emdog]

16 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Fusion always seems to be close. 

maybe it is simply a con-fusion?