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Interview with M. Leoni, software engineer at Proxima Fusion in Germany
Fusion power is a power generation technique which mimics the natural reaction in the sun where hydrogen isotopes are fused to helium in a process that releases great amounts of energy and heat. This heat and kinetic energy of nuclear particles can be used to fuel power plants. We have talked to Massimiliano Leoni, who works as a software engineer at Proxima Fusion [1] in Germany, about his work on developing the fusion technology. You find his answers to our questions below.
What is Proxima Fusion doing, and why did you choose to work there?
The mission of Proxima Fusion is to build fusion power plants that bring limitless, clean and safe energy to the grid, for good. I decided to work at Proxima Fusion because their mission resonates with my personal values and I want to use my knowledge and technical skills to make the biggest possible impact in the fight against climate change.
What did you do before joining Proxima Fusion?
I was a postdoctoral researcher in mathematical methods for medicine at the Radon Institute for Computational and Applied Mathematics of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Austria. There, I studied, analyzed and optimized clinical procedures of practical medical importance using mathematical methods, especially the finite element method (FEM), and running computer simulations.
Fusion seems like a very interesting future opportunity for clean abundant energy. Do you think it is realistic and what are the challenges?
I personally don't have any doubts that fusion is a central part of the future of humanity. Its scientific foundations are known and understood to a large degree and the challenges are mostly on the engineering side. This does not mean that it will be easy, but I'm confident that with the number of people working on this topic around the world, someone will get there in the not-too-distant future.
When do you think fusion is available for the society, as a clean and affordable energy source?
This is a very tricky question as fusion energy has the (undeserved) reputation of being "around the next corner" every time you turn a corner. What I can say for sure is that Proxima Fusion is committed to putting a first-of-a-kind stellarator fusion power plant on the grid in the 2030s.
What do you do in your role as a software engineer at Proxima Fusion?
I mostly develop simulation software, based on the finite element method, to understand and predict the behavior of various components of the fusion device that we are designing. For example, in the last six months I wrote code for, and ran simulations of, the heat propagation in the First Wall, a component designed to absorb the electromagnetic radiation coming from the plasma that therefore needs heavy cooling, achieved through a web of channels threaded into it. This was a tough problem from the design, CAD, meshing, simulation and analysis points of view, and I presented the results of our work at the FEniCS conference in Oslo last June (a recording is available on YouTube [2] ).
References
[1] Proxima Fusion GmbH. https://www.proximafusion.com/.
[2] M. Leoni (2024). Automated Optimization of Stellarator Configurations. The FEniCS Conference. https://youtu.be/nXIeod4aigk?si=-JF1P5BHegz8iQPA.