Swedish firm aims for 100x plasma confinement boost in new fusion reactor

The success of fusion power plants hinges on the quality of energy confinement. Sweden-based firm has launched a plasma confinement project to achieve commercially viable fusion energy. The TauEB project by Novatron Fusion Group aims to revolutionize plasma confinement and energy containment in fusion reactors. Novatron’s project will introduce a first-of-its-kind integration of three physical confinement techniques, which will include Magnetic Confinement, Ambipolar Plugging, and Ponderomotive Confinement. Novatron’s unique magnetic mirror design The company claims that the Magnetic Confinement will be achieved through Novatron’s unique magnetic mirror design. Meanwhile, Ambipolar Plugging is electrostatic plugging at the magnetic mirrors, achieved by creating an electric potential within the plasma. In Ponderomotive Confinement, the plasma is confined by an external electric RF-field, using the ponderomotive force. The company claims that the combination of the three techniques is expected to not only drastically improve confinement but also to make fusion power economically attractive by generating energy at a competitive Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). Read Full Article Here!

Energy company claims its new fusion technology can power a major US city — using just ‘three soda cans’ worth of fuel

A San Francisco-based energy company is super focused on its task of providing clean, laser-based energy to Americans, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.  Focused Energy, a German-American company that arrived in the California Bay Area by way of Austin, Texas, has announced plans to build a $65 million facility. Inside the facility, the company will get to work on building lasers that can burn as hot as the sun in order to create power for people’s homes. Focused is one of the small number of companies working on laser fusion technology.  Nuclear fission technology, which has existed for decades, is when energy is generated by splitting atoms apart. Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, creates power by slamming atoms together. This mimics the same process that powers the sun. Scientists have long thought of nuclear fusion as the “holy grail” of clean energy, theorizing that if they get it to work right, it could supply virtually unlimited, clean, renewable energy. Unlike fission, fusion technology could also work without creating radioactive waste. Focused, for its part, said that once fully operational, its facility would be capable of powering the entire city of San Francisco on “three soda cans” worth of fusion fuel per day. Read More Here