On the road to the most compact and efficient nuclear fusion power plant
Manuel García Muñoz
Plasma Science and Fusion Technology Lab Department of Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics University of Seville
Wednesday 22nd May 2024
11AM
Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles // ONLINE (REGISTER HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcumvrzgvGdGwizGYQzccFPFy4soLER5R)
Abstract
Fusion energy, the energy source of stars, holds the promise of meeting the global energy demand by offering a clean, sustainable, and viable alternative to fossil fuels. Nuclear fusion is an inexhaustible source of energy, with abundant fuel available from the oceans and the Earth's crust. However, harnessing fusion power in a controlled and economical manner presents significant challenges, primarily due to the difficulties in confining a high-temperature plasma with properties suitable for fusion. A promising approach in the development of nuclear fusion power plants involves the use of toroidal magnetic fields. Tokamak stands out as the most advanced system for containing a burning fusion plasma. Traditional tokamaks, with their large aspect ratios (A=R/a, where R is the major and a the minor plasma radius), utilize helical magnetic fields generated by an externally imposed toroidal magnetic field and a poloidal field induced by a current in the plasma. These large-scale tokamaks have paved the way for the baseline scenario used in ITER.
Short bio
With over 20 years of experience in plasma physics, and fusion energy, Dr. Garcia Muñoz ia a passionate and dedicated professor at Universidad de Sevilla, where he teaches and supervises undergraduate and graduate students, and lead a research group on fusion energy and plasma physics. He has a PhD in Science from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and he has worked as a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Germany, collaborating with international teams on various projects and publications. His core competencies include plasma physics, higher education research, higher education teaching, and intercultural communication. He is motivated by the challenge and potential of creating clean and sustainable energy sources for the future, and by the opportunity to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with the next generation of scientists. He is a recent recipient of a ERC –AG.
