On March 6th, our class went to the MIT Plasma Fusion Center, where we were able to observe a nuclear reactor – Alcator C-Mod Tokamak which was in operation until September of 2016. The tour was fascinating as a whole. Throughout the beginning of the tour, we were able to observe a generator of plasma, which as our tour guide described it, it subjects neutral gas to a strong magnetic field. As seen in the picture below, the plasma generated a purple color because of the hydrogen contained.

As we moved forward in the tour, we got to see images of previous nuclear reactors that had been placed in MIT since 1958. Upon the first reactor, there were two significant upgrades, one in 1975 and the last one in 2010. These changes were made to enhance the performance of the reactor and become more efficient when conducting research. The reactors contained a cooling system supplied by water from the city, and the reactor itself was unused for energy, but rather to do research.

We were able to get close and see the reactor from a close distance, and to my expectancy, the reactor was not as big as I thought it would be. At the same time, our tour guide was so passionate about his work that his speech was too science oriented and hard to follow for someone who is not proficient in the topic.

My key takeaway about the tour was the size of the screws that were used to put the reactor together, and how two of the screws were enough to hold a rocket together. Also, the reason we don’t use fusion is that it requires too much heat, and it is a reaction that naturally happens in the sun. Lastly, the MIT lab is currently working towards making a new nuclear reactor which they expect will be functioning in the next five years.