RICHMOND, British Columbia, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Fusion has published peer-reviewed scientific results confirming world-first achievements in plasma compression using its uniquely practical Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) technology. The results, published in Nuclear Fusion, verify that during the company’s Plasma Compression Science (PCS) experiment series, it successfully produced significant fusion neutron yield by compressing plasmas in the spherical tokamak configuration required for its MTF approach. The results demonstrated a method that ensures plasma stability and symmetry during compression and verified the company's predictions for the rate of plasma heating and increased neutron yield. The tests proved the effectiveness of the company’s technology for plasma formation and compression using a metal liner, providing the foundation for its Lawson Machine 26 (LM26) - the company’s large-scale fusion demonstration. LM26 will begin integrated operations in early 2025 and is on target to achieve key milestones of 1 keV, then 10 keV (fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celsius), and, ultimately, scientific breakeven equivalent (100 per cent Lawson criterion) in the next two years.
In the PCS experiment, General Fusion’s high-performing plasmas remained stable and maintained magnetic flux while the fusion neutron yield increased significantly. The experiment results demonstrated that significant volumetric compression of a spherical tokamak plasma is practical, de-risking the company’s LM26, which will compress plasmas at large scale to reach higher fusion yields.
Key Experiment Results:
- Neutron yield increased significantly, exceeding 600 million neutrons per second in one compression shot.
- During compression, the plasma became approximately 190 times denser than it started, consistent with plasma particle confinement time being significantly longer than the compression time.
- The magnetic field that provides robust confinement for the hot plasma became over 13 times higher than it started due to the action of compression.
- Measurements of plasma heating agreed well with the rate expected for the scale of the experiment, with a modest rise in ion temperature to approximately 0.63 keV during the compression.
“During our PCS series, General Fusion was the first in the world to compress a spherical tokamak plasma with a collapsing metal liner, and we are thrilled to now share in a peer-reviewed publication the results we achieved in demonstrating fusion from MTF through this experimental campaign,” said Dr. Michel Laberge, Founder and Chief Science Officer, General Fusion. “This research is another example of our trailblazing work over the past two decades. Now, we’re approaching breakthrough milestones with LM26. Our practical approach translates to an economical power plant, putting us on the path to electricity on the grid by the early to mid-2030s.”
General Fusion is a world leader in plasma research. Twenty-four prototypes and over 200,000 plasma shots have helped the company build the world’s largest and most powerful operational fusion plasma injector for LM26. The company’s multi-year PCS series, conducted from 2013 to 2019, was the first of its kind to study the behavior of a magnetized plasma during rapid compression. Custom experimental systems and testbeds were built in-house to reliably compress a high-performance compact spherical tokamak plasma within an imploding metal wall. A robust suite of diagnostics provided data for each compression test. The peer-reviewed results from the experiment closely align with the company’s advanced predictive simulation and modelling, providing confidence that LM26 will achieve its targets of 1 keV, 10 keV, and scientific breakeven equivalent (100 per cent Lawson criterion).
“We’ve demonstrated the viability of a stable fusion process using our MTF approach, laying the foundation for our groundbreaking LM26,” said Mike Donaldson, Senior Vice President, Technology Development, General Fusion. “These achievements in plasma compression are a testament to our team’s deep expertise and capabilities, accumulated over two decades of fusion technology development. Through our PCS series, we also made major advances in plasma systems, materials, coatings, and diagnostics. Now we’re ready for the next step – demonstrating fusion and significant heating at large scale with LM26! Our incredibly talented team has made it all possible, building a practical, clean energy technology with world-changing potential from the ground up.”
Quick Facts
- The open-access paper published in Nuclear Fusion provides a comprehensive analysis of the engineering and plasma physics involved in achieving this new foothold in MTF research.
- In General Fusion’s MTF approach, the proprietary liquid metal liner in the fusion vessel is mechanically compressed by high-powered pistons. This allows General Fusion to create fusion conditions in short pulses, rather than creating a sustained reaction, while protecting the machine’s vessel, extracting heat, and re-breeding fuel.
- The technology is designed to scale for cost-efficient power plants. It does not require large superconducting magnets or an expensive array of lasers.
- Today, General Fusion is accelerating its progress by building LM26. The fusion demonstration machine is on track to achieve transformative technical milestones in the next 24 months—1 keV in the first half of 2025, then 10 keV, and ultimately scientific breakeven equivalent (100 per cent Lawson criterion) by 2026. Its results will significantly de-risk the company’s commercial-scale machine, fast-tracking its path to provide commercial fusion energy to the grid by the early to mid-2030s.
About General Fusion
General Fusion is pursuing a fast and practical approach to commercial fusion energy and is headquartered in Richmond, B.C., Canada. The company was established in 2002 and is funded by a global syndicate of leading energy venture capital firms, industry leaders, and technology pioneers. Learn more at www.generalfusion.com.
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