Award Title: Stronger Magnetic Fields for Fusion Energy Using Plasma Compression Recipient: Woodruff Scientific, Inc. (Seattle, WA) Agency: Department of Energy Program / Phase: SBIR Phase II Award Amount: $700,000 Status: Open Reference Numbers: - Contract: DE-FG02-06ER84449 - Agency Tracking #: 81113S06-I - Solicitation #: DE-FG01-05ER05-28 - Topic Code: 35 - DUNS: 613177240 - Unique ID: 9e171282-9f19-410f-9f98-510ae01edacb A new method may help generate strong magnetic fields needed for fusion reactors by repeatedly injecting and compressing plasma, which could make fusion energy more practical. Fusion energy—the process that powers the sun—requires extremely strong magnetic fields to contain super-hot plasma. This project develops a potential approach to create those strong fields more efficiently using a technique called repetitive helicity injection and adiabatic compression (a process where gas is compressed without adding or removing heat, which naturally increases its temperature and pressure). Instead of using one large, expensive current source to generate the magnetic field, this approach repeatedly injects small amounts of plasma that carry magnetic properties (helicity—a measure of how twisted or tangled the magnetic field lines are) into a compact torus—a donut-shaped plasma chamber. Each injection is then accelerated and compressed using a traveling wave, similar to how a surfer rides an ocean wave. This compression appears to amplify the magnetic field strength without requiring massive electrical currents, which could make the system more practical and cost-effective for a fusion reactor. Fusion reactors require extraordinarily strong magnetic fields—stronger than anything easily produced with conventional electrical systems—to trap plasma hot enough for fusion to occur. Current approaches often rely on large, expensive coils or high-current systems that add complexity and cost to reactor designs. This project addresses a fundamental challenge: how to create those strong fields more efficiently from a low-current source. By using repeated plasma injections and compression rather than brute-force electrical currents, the approach might dramatically simplify reactor design and reduce costs. This matters because fusion energy could provide virtually limitless clean electricity, but only if we can solve the engineering challenges that stand between today's experimental reactors and practical power plants. Without improved methods for magnetic field generation, fusion may remain primarily in the research phase. The primary application would be advancing fusion energy technology toward commercial power plants. Scientists and engineers working on experimental fusion reactors—like those at national laboratories and private fusion companies—might use this compression technique to improve how they confine and control plasma. The method could also potentially benefit plasma physics research more broadly, where controlled magnetic fields are essential for studying plasma behavior and testing new confinement concepts. Any facility developing compact fusion reactors or studying plasma dynamics could conceivably apply this technology to improve their magnetic field generation systems. For Taxpayers: This research could accelerate progress toward fusion energy, which might eventually reduce American dependence on fossil fuel imports and create high-skilled jobs in energy technology and manufacturing. Successful fusion development could provide taxpayers with a long-term source of clean, abundant electricity that doesn't rely on foreign oil or coal. For Science: This work may advance plasma physics understanding by demonstrating a novel method for magnetic field generation and plasma confinement. The experimental validation of the compression technique and magnetic reconnection simulations could provide data that other fusion researchers might use to refine their own reactor designs and plasma control strategies. For Humanity: If successful, this research could contribute to making fusion energy commercially viable, which might eventually provide humanity with a virtually unlimited source of clean electricity without greenhouse gas emissions or long-lived radioactive waste. This could help address one of the most pressing long-term energy challenges facing civilization. In fusion research, several critical issues stand in the development path from a spheromak to a reactor. An important one is the production of strong magnetic fields by use of a low current source. This project will develop a new means for generating strong magnetic fields from a low current source, namely, the repetitive injection of helicity-bearing plasma that also undergoes an acceleration and compression. In Phase I, advanced computations were benchmarked against analytic theory and run to determine the best means for the acceleration and compression of a compact torus plasma. The study included detailed simulations of magnetic reconnection. In Phase II, an experiment will be designed and implemented to produce strong magnetic fields in a spheromak by the repetitive injection of magnetic helicity from a low current coaxial plasma source. The plasma will be accelerated and compressed by means of a traveling wave adiabatic compression scheme that was previously applied to a mirror plasma. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology should further the development of fusion energy, which has the potential of ending the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources (oil, coal, gas). - Physics modeling for advanced magnetic fusion energy device (Phase I, Woodruff Scientific, Inc., $55,772) - Compressing Plasma Targets for Fusion Energy Reactions (Phase II, Woodruff Scientific, Inc., $618,601) - Virtual and Augmented Reality Tools for Analyzing Complex Scientific Data (Phase II, Woodruff Scientific, Inc., $1,000,000, Aug 2019) - 3D-Printed Sensors for Fusion Energy Research Cost Reduction (Phase II, Woodruff Scientific, Inc., $997,630, Jul 2015) - Virtual Reality Tool Lets Scientists Visualize and Share 3D Physics Data Together (Phase I, Woodruff Scientific, Inc., $150,000, Jul 2018) - 3D-Printed Sensors and Diagnostics for Fusion Energy Research (Phase I, Woodruff Scientific, Inc., $149,708, Jun 2014)