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Lockheed Martin announced last week that it has taken a revolutionary step forward in the field of nuclear fusion. The breakthrough, the company claims, could solve the world’s energy crisis. To test its theory, Lockheed will be building and testing a compact fusion reactor in less than a year.
Checking in at about 10 times smaller than current reactors, Lockheed hopes to develop and deploy new compact fusion reactors in as little as 10 years.
How it works
Still in the experimental phase, nuclear fusion happens when two kinds of hydrogen atoms (deuterium and tritium) come together at high speeds, forming new atomic molecules known as ion plasma.
Lockheed is working on magnetic confinement techniques to reduce the size of nuclear fusion reactors. With its compact design, the company has found a way to constrain the plasma within a specifically shaped magnetic field. The magnetic field works to contain the expanding plasma, effectively making it so that the plasma works to contain itself.
If successful, Lockheed Martin’s compact fusion reactor could change the energy landscape as we know it. As CNET explains, one of the most interesting features of Lockheed’s announcement is the size of the reactor. At the size of a “large truck,” the company has said its reactor could be built in a factory and shipped around the world.
“Our compact fusion concept combines several alternative magnetic confinement approaches, taking the best parts of each, and offers a 90 percent size reduction over previous concepts,” said Tom McGuire, compact fusion lead for Skunk Works’ Revolutionary Technology Programs, in a company statement.
Breakthrough technology
As the Daily Mail UK reported, “Lockheed’s work on fusion energy could help developing new power sources amid increasing global conflicts over energy.”
With energy use expected to increase by 40 to 50 percent in the next generation, commercialization of nuclear fusion could present the world with an alternative to nuclear fission and fossil fuels. In fact, while the task may not be an easy one, Wired explains, “fusion’s clean energy has the potential to power naval vessels and aircrafts with effectively unlimited range using mere pounds of fuel.”
Nuclear fusion isn’t a new technology by any means. It just hasn’t been perfected yet. But that hasn’t stopped Lockheed’s McGuire from moving forward. ”We can make a big difference on the energy front,” McGuire said, noting that fusion is safer and more efficient than current reactors based on nuclear fission.
Missing piece
The company anticipates being able to complete, design and build its reactor in as early as a year. From here, the countdown looks to be about 10 years to produce an operational reactor. So what’s missing?
A partner.
Lockheed has been working on the secretive Skunk Works compact reactors for roughly four years and has chosen this time to go public in hopes of finding government and industry partners. With the added partnership, the dream could soon be a reality in the race to redefine energy as it is today.
Securities Disclosure: I, Vivien Diniz, hold no investment interest in any of the companies mentioned.