Lockheed Martin Announces Breakthrough in Fusion

    Lockheed Martin Corporation said on October 15 that they have made a technological breakthrough in the development of nuclear fusion power sources. And the first, small enough reactor that can fit in the back of a truck may be ready for use over the next decade.

    Tom McGuire, who leads the project, said he and a small group worked for about four years on fusion energy at the secret Skunk Works lab owned by Lockheed Martin, but now their work is open to potential partners in industry and government.

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    “The initial work demonstrated the possibility of building a 100-megawatt reactor about two by three meters in size, which can fit in a large truck, which is about 10 times smaller than any of the current reactors,” McGuire told reporters.

    The company’s largest Pentagon supplier said in a statement that they would create and test a compact fusion reactor in less than a year, and then build a prototype in five years.

    In recent years, Lockheed has taken a more active part in various alternative energy projects, including several projects for generating energy from the ocean, and this looks like an attempt to compensate for the decline in military spending in the US and Europe.

    “Lockheed’s work in fusion can help develop new energy sources in the face of growing global energy conflicts. And forecasts show that a 40-50 percent increase in energy use is expected for the next generation of people, ”said McGuire.

    If this turns out to be feasible, then Lockheed’s work could be a key breakthrough in an area that scientists have long regarded as promising, but where workable energy systems are not yet expected. Although great efforts are now being made to strive to use the energy released during nuclear fusion, when atoms combine into more stable forms.

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    “We can seriously improve the situation on the energy front,” said McGuire, noting also that Lockheed has been researching nuclear fusion for 60 years as a potential energy source that is safer and more efficient than current nuclear fission reactors. .

    Lockheed sees the project as part of an integrated approach to solving global energy problems and climate change.

    Compact nuclear fusion will produce much less waste than coal-fired power plants, as deuterium-tritium fuel will be used, which can generate nearly 10 million times more energy than the same amount of fossil fuels, the company said.

    The heavy hydrogen isotope deuterium is found in the oceans of the Earth, and tritium is produced from natural lithium deposits.

    This suggests that future reactors will be able to use other fuels and it will be possible to completely get rid of the appearance of radioactive waste.

    McGuire said the company has made several patent applications related to their advanced development, and is looking for partners in academia, industry and government laboratories to advance the work.

    “Lockheed says they have the ability to complete the project, build and test the reactor in just one year, and then it will be possible to build an industrial reactor in 10 years,” said McGuire. A small reactor can power a U.S. Navy warship, and eliminate the need for other fuel sources that create logistical problems.

    American submarines and aircraft carriers operate on nuclear energy, but have sufficiently large fission reactors on board, which must be replaced after a while on a regular basis.

    “That's what makes our project really interesting and feasible - it's the deadlines for a potential solution to the problem,” said McGuire.

    PS For those interested in links to the Lockheed press release and messages from English-language publications:
    www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2014/october/141015ae_lockheed-martin-pursuing-compact-nuclear-fusion.html
    www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/15/us-lockheed-fusion -idUSKCN0I41EM20141015
    sploid.gizmodo.com/lockheed-martins-new-fusion-reactor-design-can-change-h-1646578094

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