generalfusion Progress in Acoustically-Driven Magnetized Target Fusion CONFIDENTIAL Our Mission Enable a transformation of the world’s energy supply by developing the fastest, most practical, and lowest cost path to commercial fusion power. CONFIDENTIAL 2 General Fusion • World class team of 62, including 50 scientists and engineers • $78M in private capital from a global investor syndicate • Additional $23M from SR&ED, SDTC, NRC-IRAP, NSERC • Over 125 patents filed, granted, or in process Investors & Partners: Sustainable Development Technology Canada, BDC Entrepreneurs first, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, GrowthWorks, Entrepreneurs Fund, Braemar Energy Ventures, SET Ventures, Bezos Expeditions, Cenovus Energy, Khazanah Nasional CONFIDENTIAL 3 Approaches to Fusion • Magnetic Fusion: Very low density, Continuous (ITER) • Magnetized Target Fusion: Medium density, Pulsed • Laser Fusion: Extreme density, Very short pulse (NIF) “The closest to a potential reactor is what General Fusion is proposing.” -Dr. R. Kirkpatrick, Los Alamos National Laboratory CONFIDENTIAL 4 Why this Middle Region is Attractive • MTF: Magnetically Confined Plasma at Extremely High Magnetic Fields • Balances Plasma Energy (kJ to GJ, Cost of Confinement) vs. Driver Power (MW to TW, Cost of Driver) across Plasma Density (10^13 to 10^25 cm^-3) • Middle region occupies ~10^19 - 10^21 cm^-3 density where confinement and driver costs intersect at manageable levels compared to ITER and NIF. CONFIDENTIAL LINUS Concept (1976) The MTF “Solution” Recognized as: • Low cost • Practical Fixed: • First wall problem • Stand off problem • Cost/shot problem • Fuel rebreeding Diagram details: Annular free-piston, Rotating liquid-metal liner, Drive-gas reservoir, Plasmoid formation region, Inflow/return flow of liner material to heat and chemical processing, Pilot-valve actuation. CONFIDENTIAL General Fusion: Acoustic Magnetized Target Fusion 3D CAD models showing full reactor concept with acoustic drivers surrounding the spherical compression chamber and liquid vortex. CONFIDENTIAL Example Parameters from Simulation Initial Conditions: • Pistons kinetic energy: 120 MJ • Initial plasma density: 1.25x10^17 cm^-3 • Initial plasma temperature: 100 eV • Initial magnetic field: 7 Tesla • Initial plasma radius: 20 cm Compression: • Radial compression: 10 • Maximum fluid-plasma surface velocity: -2600 m/s • Energy transfer to plasma: 14 MJ Ignition: • Peak plasma density: 1.16x10^20 cm^-3 • Peak plasma temperature: 25 keV • Peak plasma pressure: 5 Mbar • Peak magnetic field: 670 Tesla • Confinement time (FWHM of plasma density): 7 µs Energy Output: • Fusion energy produced: 700 MJ • Energy gain: 6 CONFIDENTIAL Practical Compressed gas driver • Uses power plant working fluid • Baseline is steam (could be CO2 or Helium) • Low cost for high energy: <$0.2/Joule compared to >$2/Joule for pulsed power CONFIDENTIAL Practical Thick Lead-Lithium blanket • 300 °C inlet temperature • 550 °C outlet temperature • 2 m^3/s flow rate • 2 MeV+ neutron flux to structure is 5 orders of magnitude lower than ITER • 4π coverage, n,2n Pb reaction provides tritium breeding ratio of 1.5 CONFIDENTIAL Practical Plasma target • Liquid wall cannot be destroyed • Target is plasma only • Provides a pulsed system with no consumables CONFIDENTIAL 100MWe Modular Power Plant • Modular 100 MWe power plant • Heat converted to electricity with a straightforward steam turbine • Capital cost of plant: ~$1,900/kW + Fuel only $0.00001/kWh + Limited fuel use each year: deuterium (18 kg/yr) & lithium (60 kg/yr) • Levelized cost: ~$0.07/kWh • Balance of plant similar to coal generation Energy Cycle: 300 MW Heat -> Convert to Electricity (33% efficient) -> 100 MW Output; 300 MW Heat -> Convert to Mechanical Energy (33% efficient) -> 100 MW Mechanical Energy into reactor CONFIDENTIAL 12 Technology Development Component Development: • Plasma Injectors: Built largest injectors in the world; Injectors built at scale; Temperatures >4 million degrees • Acoustic Driver: Full scale piston system completed; 50 m/s impact velocity; ± 5 µs impact timing control • Symmetric Vortex Collapse: Constructed functioning piston/sphere prototype; Liquid lead vortex and pumping system in operation Reactor Physics Validation: • Plasma Compression Tests: Advanced fusion yield tests underway; Significant new data, working toward validating fusion yield CONFIDENTIAL 13 COMPRESSION SYSTEM • Acoustic Driver | Complexity: Completed | Target: 50 m/s impact velocity, ± 10 µs impact timing control (± 5 µs achieved) • Symmetric Vortex Collapse | Complexity: Moderate | Target: Smooth, symmetric collapse of molten Pb vortex CONFIDENTIAL Acoustic Driver Milestones Met • Piston Impact Timing Control (5 sequential shots): Achieved well below 10 µs target (approaching ± 5 µs by Jan-12) • Piston Impact Velocity: Exceeded performance requirement of 50 m/s by mid-2012 (testing HP1 and HP3 designs) CONFIDENTIAL New Piston Design Goal: Higher impact speeds, and better impact timing control. Incorporate power plant considerations: • Energy efficiency • Piston reset • Integration with balance of plant (steam systems) New design to be complete by the end of 2015 2015 Launch System Improvement – Without Servo Control System: 85% improvement in impact time shot to shot variation (from 23 ms in Old Launch System down to ~3 ms in New Launch System v2) CONFIDENTIAL 16 • 1m sphere with 14 full size drivers • 15 ton molten Pb storage • 100 kg/s pumping • Vortex formation and collapse • Piston impact velocity (50 m/s) and timing control (±5 µs) achieved CONFIDENTIAL Liquid Pb Vortex Collapse High speed imaging showing vortex collapse in liquid lead (T+: +100.246 ms, AcqRes: 512 x 512, Rate: 25000). CONFIDENTIAL Simulation of Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability • R-M Instabilities can be mitigated with a synchronized, convergent geometry CONFIDENTIAL 19 Vortex, Pistons & Sphere Internal Simulation and Experimental Work focused on Vortex Formation: • Experiment and simulation reconstructed mini-sphere behavior • Developed pathway to smooth vortex • Created reliable vortex simulation model University Collaboration Simulation and Experimental Work on Vortex Collapse: • McGill: Experiments replicated R-M jetting; Design support for new apparatus; 2014 Molded Gelatin Experiments; 2015 Vortex Collapse Apparatus • 2015: McGill experiments to show shell formation in vortex collapse; QMUL simulation effort starting now on anvil/fluid interface CONFIDENTIAL 20 Fluid and Vortex Behaviour – 3D Simulation • 3D Fluid and Vortex Simulations have advanced significantly, now modeling many of the features seen in mini-sphere experimental data • Shows that a smooth compression may be possible on mini-sphere if vortex smoothness can be improved CONFIDENTIAL 21 PLASMA INJECTOR • Plasma Injectors | Complexity: High | Target: 100 eV, 10^16 cm^-3, 50 µs thermal life (for break-even); 100 eV, 10^17 cm^-3, 50 µs thermal life (for power plant) CONFIDENTIAL 22 Large Plasma Injector Diagrams and photos of injector hardware, ring formation analogies, and plasma discharge visuals. CONFIDENTIAL Plasma Acceleration: Summary of Results • Formation: 10^14 cm^-3, 40 eV, 0.2 T • 2X Radial Compression: 8x10^14 cm^-3, 160 eV, 0.8 T, Adiabatic • 4X Radial Compression: 6x10^15 cm^-3, 3.2 T, 300 eV (Expect >600 eV, not adiabatic) CONFIDENTIAL Plasma Injector: Confinement • Formation: Simulation shows good plasma structure: formation confinement is good on large injectors • Acceleration: Simulation shows how the acceleration current can degrade the plasma structure and confinement CONFIDENTIAL Small Plasma Injector • Direct formation: no acceleration stage. • Comparable to CTX and SSPX designs • Lower maximum plasma density than large injectors • Faster design iteration • Designed for use in plasma compression experiments CONFIDENTIAL Plasma Lifetime Progress on Small Injector • Chronological progression from June 2012 to February 2014 showing dramatic improvement in poloidal field lifetime. • February 2014: 50 µs thermal life, Self-heating to 290 eV, sustained poloidal field beyond 600 µs (well past compression time window of ~320-400 µs). CONFIDENTIAL 27 MHD Modulated by Sustain Current Small gun current remaining after formation modifies MHD activity & lifetime: • “Undersustained” (5.0kV): q drops to 0.5 near core; Large n=2 mode • “Oversustained” (5.5 kV): q is driven -> 1; Early n=1 loss • Well sustained (5.2 kV): q is held 0.5 < q(r) < 1 for longer period; n=2 suppressed; Late n=1 loss; Compress here CONFIDENTIAL 28 PROSPECTOR: Small Injector Variant Built to allow more systematic/deliberate control of: • ‘Sustainment’ current path • Overall safety factor: Stuffing Flux has Toroidal component • Can drive up to 800 kA through central shaft • Formation current of up to 1 MA • No gap below Center electrode • Reproduced sustained spheromak performance but with much better reliability CONFIDENTIAL 29 Scans of Shaft Current in PROSPECTOR • Early scans of shaft current showed transition from familiar spheromak behavior to tokamak-like behavior (dashed line) at 70 kA, 200 kA, and 310 kA. • Transition occurs earlier as shaft current (Toroidal field) increased • ‘Tokamak’ discharge (q > 1 everywhere) has reduced magnetic turbulence, visible radiation CONFIDENTIAL 30 Plasma Characteristics after Transition • Improved Magnetic Lifetime: Smooth decay following spheromak-to-tokamak transition. • Increased Electron Temperature (from Thomson Scattering): Peak Te reaches ~300 eV following the transition. CONFIDENTIAL 31 Latest Data (October 2015) • Spheromak > Tokamak transition followed by smooth, slow decline of magnetic field. • MRT_MagneticLifeTime = 938.62 µs (Long lifetime!) • Thermal lifetimes (τ) now exceeding 100 µs CONFIDENTIAL 32 Plasma Compression Testing Reactor Physics Validation: • Plasma Compression Tests | Complexity: High | Target: Plasma heating to 10 keV CONFIDENTIAL 33 Example Magnetic Data – Test #2 • Key timings: - ~0 µs: Fire signal sent to switches - 34 µs: Linewave generator initiates (XHE rises) - 66 µs: Wall begins to move - 95 µs: 2X radial compression - 130 µs: Full convergence / flyer wall touches down on cones • Observed: Plasma structure collapses around 95-100 µs. CONFIDENTIAL Effect of Lithium Walls - Test #7 • Thin coating of Lithium on the walls on Test #7 allowed much more reliable plasma performance (much like Titanium). Known benefits of “Gettering” • Unlike Titanium, Lithium does not appear to greatly increase radiation during the plasma compression (PCS5 radiated 5% of initial magnetic energy during compression in soft X-rays; PCS7 Li getter remained very low compared to PCS5 Ti getter). CONFIDENTIAL Magnetic Probe Results - Test #9 • First problem-free compression with Li gettering (B-lifetime = 250 µs). • Magnetic compression ratio 4-5 followed by strong n=1 instability. • Sequence: Main Rogowski rise (0 µs) -> Sustain Fired (50 µs) -> Fire signal sent to Veto (140 µs) -> Fire signal passed by Veto (190 µs) -> Wall moves (230.6 µs) -> 1.5X radial (267.6 µs) -> 2X radial (283.3 µs) -> 3X radial (298.6 µs) -> 5X radial (310.2 µs) -> Slapdown (313.9 µs). CONFIDENTIAL 36 Increase in Magnetic Field: recent field tests • PCS#9: ~4x to 5x increase in magnetic field. • Magnetic instabilities continue to point to shape as a root cause • Poloidal Magnetic Compression Ratio comparison across PCS5, PCS6, PCS7, PCS8, and PCS9 (PCS9 reaches >4 at R=23mm and >7 at R=17mm). CONFIDENTIAL 37 New Compression Shape for 2016 • Current Geometry (Cylindrical Compression): Compressed plasma shape is unstable; technique was easier to implement • New Geometry (SPECTOR) (Self-Similar Compression): Compressed plasma shape is stable and closer to actual reactor configuration CONFIDENTIAL 38 Plasma Compression Simulations • Cylindrical geometry causes MHD instabilities in compression • Self-similar geometry shows well nested flux surface and no instabilities CONFIDENTIAL 39 SPECTOR Injector (SPhErical Compact TORoid) • Same circuit design as PROSPECTOR; 800kA formation current, 1MA preformation. • Similar magnet design as MRT; Penning trap for gas breakdown. • 36mWb of stuffing flux instead of 8mWb. • New flux conserver geometry: compressing CT in a self-similar geometry is a challenge. • Larger flux conserver, R=19cm • Decreasing lambda along gun taper; gun radius much smaller than FC radius. • Probe access from central shaft. • D-shape FC has good stability, even during compression. • No toroidal flux dump. Found unnecessary. • Construction underway – first plasma end of 2015 CONFIDENTIAL 40 New Large Injector Design We are designing and building a new high-density injector, capable of breakeven (assuming 10x compression) General Fusion is working with PPPL and Bick Hooper (LLNL) • New design for formation section to provide a poloidal “buffer” field • Novel accelerator geometry allows 70% lower accelerator current at the tip • New lithium gettering will dramatically improve wall effects on plasma. • New diagnostics focusing on critical effects for plasma lifetime CONFIDENTIAL 41 Thank You Brendan Cassidy Open Innovation Manager [email protected] 604-439-3003 CONFIDENTIAL