The “Kinetic Nuclear Fusion” seeks 470 million euros to build the first commercial reactor
still image of the bullet used by First Light
An Oxford start-up, which has claimed a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion research, is seeking to raise € 478m, £ 400m, to fund the next phase of its research. First Light Fusion jumped to the headlines in April when it claimed to have achieved the reaction with its method of launching projectiles on fuel, which had as its purpose the heating of hydrogen to fusion with the transmission of energy. bullet kinetics. An innovative and much simpler system than the traditionally used Tokamak.
The transition from the scientific experiment to the working demonstration prototype requires important funds, which is why the request for these important funds. According to people close to the company, First Light Fusion hopes to reach its funding goal in the coming months. CEO Nick Hawker, who founded the company in 2011, is said to be evaluating the interest of several investment funds and even wealthy investors.
The nuclear fusion process fuses the atoms together, releasing energy. It is the same reaction that generates energy on the sun. It is a distinct reaction from nuclear fission, the one used in power plants, where atoms are split apart to create energy. In fission, nuclear waste is generated as an unwanted by-product.
First Light, born out of the University of Oxford, uses a simpler process to trigger the nuclear fusion reaction than its competitors. Other programs use magnetic fields, while the Hawker process involves firing a bullet 20 times faster than sound at a ball containing tritium and deuterium, two isotopes of hydrogen. First Light wants to repeat the reaction every 30 seconds to maintain the cycle, overcoming one of the main challenges of nuclear fusion: keeping the reactor alive.
The idea of First Light is also innovative to accelerate the construction of its first plant: instead of a completely new structure, it plans to install its reactor in an already active traditional plant, so as not to need to create interconnections from scratch to the network. . It is expected to be up and running in 2030.
First Light wants to repeat the reaction every 30 seconds to maintain the cycle, overcoming one of the main challenges of nuclear fusion: keeping the reactor alive.
In February, the company raised $ 45 million from lenders including Chinese tech giant Tencent. Other investors include IP Group and Hambro Perks, a venture capital firm. The second round of funding will see the entry of important partners, who will grab a unique technology.
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The article “Kinetic nuclear fusion” seeks 470 million euros to build the first commercial reactor comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-fusione-nucleare-cinetica-cerca-470-milioni-di-euro-per-realizzare-il-primo-reattore-commerciale/ on Thu, 04 Aug 2022 09:00:53 +0000.