Oxford-based fusion startup First Light Fusion has inked the go ahead for construction of the Machine 4 demonstration facility at the UKAEA’s nearby Culham campus.
Under the agreement the two parties will develop the new building at Culham, for which architects and technical designers already have been appointed and which will house First Light Fusion’s next generation Machine 4.
Construction is expected to begin in 2024 with operations likely to commence in 2027.
First Light Fusion is pursuing an ‘inertial confinement’ approach to fusion, similar to that at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which in December demonstrated a net energy gain.
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However, instead of a large laser to trigger the fusion, the company’s approach involves the firing of a projectile at the fuel pellet, considering this to be simpler and more energy efficient and with lower physics risk.
Dr Nick Hawker, co-founder and CEO of First Light Fusion, says that with the agreement in place and contracts signed with designers and architects, the development timeframe can be accelerated.
“The recent gain result from the National Ignition Facility in California proved what we always knew – that inertial confinement fusion works and offers the potential for a faster route to commercial fusion. We’ve already proven fusion. Gain is our next milestone.”
First Light Fusion’s Machine 4 is aimed to have a stored electrical energy of around 100MJ with the capability of launching projectiles at 60km/s.
This speed on impact inside the target will accelerate to approximately 200km/s per second as a result of First Light Fusion’s amplifier technology, which focuses the energy of the projectile into the fusion fuel, both boosting the pressure from impact to deliver to the fuel and shaping the waves to produce spherical implosions.
The current Machine 3 launches a projectile at approximately 20km/s.
Machine 4 is aimed to deliver a net energy gain, exemplified by a fuel gain of 100 or more.
The First Light Fusion agreement follows closely behind the granting of permission for the development of a demonstration of Canada-based General Fusion’s magnetised target fusion technology at the UKAEA Culham campus.
The company expects that its location should bring significant advantages that will expedite its development, including UKAEA’s existing expertise and supply chain infrastructure.
