Scientists have developed a technology to initiate fusion with hypersound

British First Light Fusion found a way to achieve a thermonuclear reaction without expensive powerful lasers or magnets. At the heart of its technology is the supersonic speed of a rail artillery shell.

Developed by Oxford startup First Light Fusion, the technology is inspired by shellfish and their “underwater weapons”. Clicking their paws with astonishing speed, they create shock waves that accelerate water jets to almost 100 km / h. From this speed, the water evaporates and forms tiny bubbles. They collide with each other and explode rapidly, but for a short time the steam inside them heats up to tens of thousands of degrees.

How the technology was applied

First Light engineers tried to develop it based on this effect. They made a series of small cubic targets with a side of about 1 cm, which created shock waves and bubbles due to the bullet moving at great speed. These waves increased many times over at a small pressure located exactly in the center of the fuel capsule.

The projectile was accelerated by an electromagnetic device similar to a railgun to 6.5 km/h (23,400 km/h), or 1/19th the speed of sound. When it reached the target, the pressure rose to 100 DPa. The ingenious design of the target increased this pressure 10 times – up to 1 TPa, and when the capsule exploded, pressure waves on all sides brought this figure to 100 TPa, causing the fuel to accelerate to 70 km / h (252,000 km / h). ).

Merging of shells: watch the video

At this point, the fuel becomes the fastest object on Earth, and the pressure and temperature are enough to initiate the fusion reaction. It emits a significant amount of thermal energy and neutrons, which absorb the one meter thick walls of liquid lithium surrounding the room. The heat turns water into steam, which turns the turbine and generates electricity.

practical application

According to First Light estimates, each target will be able to generate enough energy to power one family and the average home. throughout the year. This is approximately 6.2 MWh. In operation, the plant will be able to produce as much as every 30 seconds, meaning its capacity will be 755 MW – slightly less than the 1 GW emitted by the average nuclear power plant in the United States. But without the risk of nuclear waste and accidents.

The company conducted a prototype review from the UK Atomic Energy Agency, with all technical and experimental data and statistical analysis. Experts confirmed that the number of neutrons in one shot corresponds to the fusion reaction in deuterium fuel.

At the same time, the company spends only $59 million on its technology, while the most modest budget of the ITER project is about $ 200 billion.

First Light hopes to build a 150 MW pilot plant costing less than $1 billion by the 2030s.