The Magnets That Make Fusion Possible — Superconductors, Quench & the ITER Story Dr. Joseph Minervini
About this episode
Dr. Joseph Minervini discusses the technology behind magnetic confinement fusion and the challenges faced in the field.
Dr. Joseph Minervini of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center joins Priyanca Ford for a masterclass in the technology at the heart of magnetic confinement fusion. They cover why high-temperature superconductors like REBCO changed the game, the twin challenges of quench protection and structural stress, why tokamaks are inherently pulsed, and hard-won lessons from decades on ITER and the world’s largest superconducting magnet systems.
People in this episode
Host: Priyanca Ford
Guest: Dr. Joseph Minervini
Topics covered
- fusion energy
- superconductors
- magnetic confinement
- tokamaks
- ITER
- quench protection
Keywords
- fusion
- superconductors
- quench
- ITER
- magnetic confinement
- REBCO
- tokamak
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, ITER
Products: REBCO
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