"....fuel densities in the solid state are 400 million times higher than that in a plasma. "
Our core reactor architecture embodies a quarter-century of engineering design and over 15 years of combined runtime. Through harnessing our latest understanding of stellar physics, we have already demonstrated the ability to increase the total fusion rate of our reactors by over an order of magnitude. This is achieved by improving upon a TRL 9 reactor architecture by using proprietary methods to introduce fusion fuel into the solid plasma-facing internal components; TRL 6.
By utilising lattice confinement fusion (LCF), a process validated by NASA in 2021, our reactor design achieves solid-state fuel densities 400 million times higher than those achievable in the plasma. Our reactor design benefits from an electron-screened environment within the core, thereby reducing the energy required to overcome the coulomb barrier between particles. This reduces the required temperatures to induce fusion by several million degrees, unlocking orders of magnitude higher performance in a compact form factor.Â
Our systems produce two distinct fusion reactions in parallel with a single power input; fusion occurs in both the plasma and the solid-state lattice. We call this novel reactor design Multi-State Fusion (MSF).
Technology Development Timeline
2020: The first Multi-State fusion reactor is theorised, and detailed simulations and design analysis of combining LCF and IEC technologies indicate a significant performance gain.
2021: Our first prototype reactor, built in the UK, demonstrated a 36% increase in reactor performance with limited fusion fuel enrichment in the solid state.
2022: The second round of prototypes, tested in partnership with the University of Bristol, yielded in excess of an order of magnitude increase in fusion performance. This allows us to confidently produce greater than 100 billion DT fusions per second within a compact commercial architecture.
2023: Third round of prototypes being tested at Astral's facility in the UK with members from external independent institutions verifying fusion performance. This allows us to confidently produce greater than 1 trillion DT fusions per second within a commercial architecture. The performance is highly relevant to our approach to decentralized medical isotope production.
2024+: As we progress the fusion rate of our technology, aiming to exceed 10 trillion DT fusions per second per system, we unlock a wide range of applications and capabilities, such as large-scale medical isotope production, fusion neutron materials damage testing, transmutation of existing nuclear waste stores, space applications, hybrid fusion-fission power systems, and beyond.
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