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Patents Secured for Revolutionary Nuclear Fusion Technology
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Popular Mechanics
Posted: March 23rd, 2020
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a31080902/fusion-en...
Scientists in Australia are making some astonishing claims about a new nuclear reactor technology. Startup HB11, which spun out of the University of New South Wales, has applied for and received patents in the U.S., Japan, and China so far. The company's technology uses lasers to trigger a nuclear fusion reaction in hydrogen and boronpurportedly with no radioactive fuel required. The laser doesnt heat the materials. Instead, it speeds up the hydrogen to the point where it (hopefully) collides with the boron to begin a reaction. You could say we're using the hydrogen as a dart, and hoping to hit a boron, and if we hit one, we can start a fusion reaction, managing director Warren McKenzie [said]. He says HB11's approach is more precise than designs that use heat to approach fusion because in those reactors, everything is heated in the hope that something will collide. When the lucky hydrogen does fuse with a boron particle, the reaction throws off helium atoms whose lack of electrons means theyre positively charged. Its this charge that the device gathers as electricity. The overall idea was developed by UNSW emeritus professor Heinrich Hora. Horas design seeks to not just compete with, but replace entirely the extremely high-temperature current technologies to achieve fusion. These include fussy and volatile designs like the tokamak or stellarator, which can take months to get up to functionality and still spin out of working order in a matter of microseconds.
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