Ep. 108 - Phil Ferguson, Oak Ridge National Labs
In this episode we discuss...
- Phil's background in nuclear engineering and personal journey in the nuclear field
- A deep dive into spallation and how it occurs
- The Spallation Neutron Source
- The process of conceptualization to commissioning for SPN
- The evolution of the fusion industry over the last 40 years
- Requirements and inherent challenges in achieving fusion
- Different types of pellets and their uses
- Strategies for mitigating damage to the wall of the fusion reactor vessel
- The ITER Home Fusion Experiment
- Challenges in developing fusion across both national science approaches and private fusion companies