Nuclear power and reactors

“It's useful to peek over someone’s shoulder," says Kevin Woller of the students he mentors. "The accelerator is a large machine. It’s not easy to put someone in front of it and say ‘OK, operate it!’"

Kevin Woller: From student to mentor

Research scientist gives back by passing along the nuts and bolts of plasma research.

January 25, 2019

Dennis Whyte, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

MIT continues progress toward practical fusion energy

In series of talks, researchers describe major effort to address climate change through carbon-free power.

January 24, 2019

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. “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.

Tapping the MIT talent pool for the future of fusion

Excitement is rising in the push to get zero-carbon energy on the grid.

January 11, 2019

"When we stimulate theoretically inclined minds by framing plasma physics and fusion challenges as beautiful theoretical physics problems, we bring into the game incredibly brilliant students," says associate professor of nuclear science and engineering Nuno Loureiro.

Nuno Loureiro: Understanding turbulence in plasmas

Theoretical physicist's focus on the complexity of plasma turbulence could pay dividends in fusion energy.

January 3, 2019

“I want to make choices, even difficult ones, that don't leave me wondering later why I hadn't taken a risk,” says MIT junior Eva Lisowski.

Eva Lisowski: Pushing the limits

Nuclear science and engineering major and ROTC cadet studies and trains hard for a future of national service.

December 19, 2018

The ion beamline at Sandia National Labs where the new radiation damage measurement system has been installed and tested. The radiation damage process is observed in a target chamber located behind the black-box laser enclosure on the right of the image.

System monitors radiation damage to materials in real-time

Facility could rapidly provide data on how material properties change in a nuclear reactor.

December 18, 2018

“By better understanding boiling heat transfer at high pressures, we could improve the performance of components inside these reactors ... and eventually help increase power output at plants,” says Artyom Kossolapov.

Heat-seeking studies

Graduate student Artyom Kossolapov takes precision measurements of critical heat flux in nuclear reactors — and rocks out on electric guitar.

November 6, 2018

MIT Energy Initiative Director Robert Armstrong welcomes attendees to MITEI’s annual research conference, which featured panels on topics ranging from climate change to energy startups to the critical role artificial intelligence and machine learning can play in developing technology for a low-carbon energy future.

Q&A: Climate change, tough tech startups, and the future of energy intelligence

MIT Energy Initiative Director Robert Armstrong offers his perspective on the takeaways from MITEI’s annual research conference.

October 25, 2018

The Infinite Cooling team accepts the $100K Diamond Winner Award at the MassChallenge Awards on Oct. 17 in Boston. Left to right: co-founder Associate Professor Kripa Varnasi, co-founder Maher Damak, co-founder Karim Khalil, and COO Derek Warnick.

MIT spinoff takes top honor at MassChallenge Awards

Infinite Cooling, a startup from the Varanasi Research Group, was a $100K Diamond Winner at the MassChallenge Awards.

October 23, 2018

Fusion, and specifically the physics of plasmas, has remained Nuno Loureiro’s primary research focus through graduate school, postdoc stints, and now in his research and teaching at MIT.

Nuno Loureiro: Probing the world of plasmas

Physicist explores the behavior of the universe’s most abundant form of matter.

October 15, 2018

Matt Ellis PhD ’17 (left) and Sam Shaner SM ’14 PhD ’18 have designed a nuclear reactor that deploys a molten nitrate salt coolant that allows the reactor to reach higher operating temperatures than current water-cooled reactors.

Powered by idealism and pragmatism

Matt Ellis PhD ’17 and Sam Shaner SM ’14, PhD ’18 launch a startup to develop an advanced nuclear reactor design.

October 11, 2018

The ARC conceptual design for a compact, high magnetic field fusion power plant. The design now incorporates innovations from the newly published research to handle heat exhaust from the plasma.

A new path to solving a longstanding fusion challenge

Novel design could help shed excess heat in next-generation fusion power plants.

October 9, 2018

Karen Dawson participates in a panel discussion about the new MIT interdisciplinary study, “The Future of Nuclear in a Carbon-Constrained World.”

Student insight on the "Future of Nuclear Energy" study

Student researchers lend voices, ideas for exploring nuclear energy’s potential to address climate change, and describe insights gained from the experience.

October 5, 2018

“The potential of fusion energy is immense. I just wanted to contribute to this effort,” says PhD candidate Juan Ruiz Ruiz.

Juan Ruiz Ruiz: The heat of the matter

PhD candidate seeks to discover how heat leaks from fusion plasmas.

October 1, 2018

New MIT research shows that, unless steady, continuous carbon-free sources of electricity are included in the mix, costs of decarbonizing the electrical system could be prohibitive and end up derailing attempts to mitigate the most severe effects of global climate change.

Study: Adding power choices reduces cost and risk of carbon-free electricity

To curb greenhouse gas emissions, nations, states, and cities should aim for a mix of fuel-saving, flexible, and highly reliable sources.

September 6, 2018

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