What is nuclear fusion?

It’s the process that powers the sun: fusing light nuclei (usually isotopes of hydrogen — deuterium and tritium) to form helium, releasing immense amounts of energy. Unlike nuclear fission (splitting heavy atoms), fusion does not produce long-lived radioactive waste or carry the same meltdown risks.

Here are their benefits:

• Abundant fuel                    
  • Deuterium is in seawater; tritium can be bred from lithium. Nearly inexhaustible.         
• No greenhouse gases   
  • Only helium and minimal radioactive by-product are produced        
• No meltdown                      
  • Fusion reactions require extreme conditions; if disrupted, they simply stop.        
• Minimal waste                    
  • No long-lived radioactive waste like in fission reactors. Components activated by neutrons decay faster (decade not millennia)
• High energy density      
  •  1 gram of fusion fuel ≈ energy of ~8 tons of oil.

Just click below to see the 50 sec. video explaning how Fusion Nuclear is created:

The Canadien Base General Fusion`s is pursuing the fastest, most practical path to bringing fusion energy to market by using their Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) core technologies, it’s a fusion machine name Lawson Machine 26 or LM26 is a pioneering fusion demonstration device in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.  LM26 represents a significant advancement in the pursuit of practical fusion energy.  

The LM26 has successfully achieved fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celsius (1keV – a temperature necessary for initiating fusion reaction) and now forming a magnetized plasma`s in the machine`s target chamber daily, a significant achievement in the operation of this world-first machine.

What is plasma?

Plasma is a state of matter where a gas is heated to such high temperatures that electrons are stripped from the atoms, creating a mixture of positively charged nuclei and negatively charged electrons. 

Why is plasma important for fusion?

In fusion, the plasma must reach extremely high temperatures and densities to allow atomic nuclei to collide and fuse together, releasing tremendous amounts of energy. 

LM26’s approach:

General Fusion’s Magnetize Target Fusion approach uses magnetic fields and mechanical compression to create fusion reaction.

The role of lithium:

The liquid lithium liner in LM26 serves multiple purposes: it compresses the plasma, protects the machine from neutron damage, enables fuel breeding and provides an efficient method for extracting energy. 

How the fusion reaction is created in LM26 Machine?

In the General Fusion’s Magnetize Target Fusion (MTF) method, the target is a magnetized plasma with magnetize field in it, so the particles move around the circle without touching the wall and then we need to compress it.  The compression is realized by spinning the liquid metal liner who have been filled in the spherical chamber, then the centrifuge force jams the liquid metal against the wall creating a hole in the center. Afterwards the magnetized plasma is injected by the 24 plasma injectors they have built and then, rapidly compressed by a series of steam-driven pistons aiming to initiate fusion neutron’s reaction that will flash out and consequently, the liquid metal will get hotter.  So, this heat will be directed forward a heat exchanger to create steam, which then will drive turbines to generate electricity.

Achieving scientific breakeven by 2026, where the energy output from the fusion reaction equals or surpasses the energy input required to sustain it.  An MTF power plant is designed to produce its own fuel and inherently includes a method to extract the energy and put it to work.  In essence, the plasma in LM26 is the fuel for the fusion reaction, the compression and heating processes are designed to drive it to the conditions necessary for fusion to occur. 

Key Features of LM26

• Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF): Combines magnetic confinement of plasma with mechanical compression, offering a potentially more practical and cost-effective route to fusion energy compared to traditional methods like tokamaks or laser-based systems.
• Steam-Driven Pistons: Utilizes an array of pistons powered by steam to symmetrically compress the plasma, eliminating the need for expensive superconducting magnets.
• Liquid Lithium Liner: The use of liquid metal not only aids in plasma compression but also serves as a protective barrier, absorbing the intense heat and radiation produced during fusion reactions.

LM26’s results will validate the company’s ability to compress magnetized plasmas in a repeatable manner and achieve fusion conditions at scale using General Fusion’s uniquely practical approach to fusion without requiring superconducting magnets or high-powered lasers. Their machine is designed to achieve a series of results that will demonstrate MTF: 10 million degrees Celsius (1 keV), 100 million degrees Celsius (10 keV), and scientific breakeven equivalent (100% Lawson) in a commercially relevant way and will significantly de-risk the commercialization process, as it is designed to provide technical performance in the near term while shortening the technical path from their next commercial machine to bring commercial fusion energy to the grid by the 2030.

Fortunately, General Fusion was on the verge of bankruptcy and was rescued by Segra Capital (a Canadian company that invests in various funds) and PenderFund (an American company specializing in clean technologies, including nuclear energy) in order to offer their new approach to controlling fusion reactions.

They have the machine to be the first in the world to demonstrate commercially relevant fusion – They built the racecar. Now they need to fuel it through investment.  They are one of only four private fusion companies in the world to have achieved, and published, meaningful fusion results on the path to scientific breakeven. The most recent publication proved their ability to achieve energy confinement times exceeding 10 milliseconds, the energy confinement time required to achieve our targeted milestones in LM26.

Indeed, General Fusion’s MTF technology uses a liquid lithium liner to perform many of the functions of a fusion machine. These will be the four major barriers that other approaches will face when moving from demonstration to commercialization. A General Fusion MTF power plant will produce economical fusion energy with a durable and reliable machine, sustainable fuel production, and the means to extract and put that energy to work.

Fusion with MTF technologies will be unlimited and therefore the energy of the future to continue our path towards a pollution-free planet.

When commercialized, a single General Fusion`s power plant will be designed to provide zero-carbon power to approximately 150,000 Canadian homes, with the ability to be placed close to energy demand, minimizing the need for long transmission lines or pipelines and cost competitive with other energy sources. 

With zero emissions and on-demand availability – fusion energy has the potential to replace aging infrastructure and electrify new sectors. Achieving a low-carbon energy future is the best-case scenario for limiting the devastating effects of global climate change.

Fusion power plants are expected to be placed anywhere, powered only by hydrogen from water and emitting no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. Their features have the potential to secure global access to energy with no geographical constraints, minimal land requirements, and the ability to be placed near consumers. General Fusion’s technology attracts interest because it meets society’s demands for clean, secure and abundant sources of energy that are scalable and safety advantaged.