 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fusion power |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | Michel Laberge |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of employees | c. 150 |
| Website | generalfusion |
General Fusion is a Canadian company based in Richmond, British Columbia, which is developing a fusion power technology based on magnetized target fusion (MTF). The firm was founded in 2002 by Dr. Michel Laberge. As of 2024[update], it has more than 150 employees.
The technology under development injects a magnetized target, a plasma mass in the form of a type of plasmoid termed a compact toroid, into a cylinder of spinning liquid metal. The target is mechanically compressed to fusion-relevant densities and pressures, by anywhere from a dozen to hundreds (in various designs) of steam-driven pistons.[1][2][3]
In 2018, the firm published papers on a spherical tokamak and a recent conceptual design was presented at the 30th IEEE Symposium of Fusion Engineering (SOFE).[4][5] In August 2023, the company announced an updated plan to build a new fusion demonstration machine – Lawson Machine 26 (LM26) – at its Canadian headquarters. The company says LM26 is designed to achieve fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celsius (10 keV) by 2025 and progress towards scientific breakeven equivalent by 2026. This was an adjustment to its previously announced Fusion Demonstration Program.[6][7] In June 2021, the company announced it would build 70% of a full-scale fusion demonstration plant in the UK as part of a public-private partnership with the UK Government.[8]
- ^ Dean, Josh (23 December 2008). "This machine might* save the world". Popular Science.
- ^ Hamilton, Tyler (20 April 2009). "Looking for a net gain in the energy sector". Toronto Star.
- ^ VanderKlippe, Nathan (16 November 2007). "Garage scientist aims to thwart OPEC". Financial Post. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ Laberge, Michel (14 August 2018). "Magnetized Target Fusion with a Spherical Tokamak". Journal of Fusion Energy. 38 (1): 199–203. doi:10.1007/s10894-018-0180-3. S2CID 125279953.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Krotez Segas Khalzov Suponitsky 2023was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "General Fusion lands $25M and reveals plans for demo machine in B.C." 9 August 2023.
- ^ "General Fusion Announces Funding to Build New Fusion Machine Targeting Scientific Breakeven by 2026".
- ^ "Nuclear energy: Fusion plant backed by Jeff Bezos to be built in UK". BBC News. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.