First Light Fusion, which was spun out of the University of Oxford in 2011 to research energy generation using inertial fusion, has completed construction and testing of its Machine 3 pulsed power device. Machine 3 has now been fully commissioned following successful testing at the end of 2018. It is the biggest pulsed power machine in the world dedicated to researching fusion energy. Machine 3 can discharging up to 200,000 volts and more than 14 million ampere – the equivalent of nearly 500 simultaneous lightning strikes – within two microseconds. The GBP3.6m ($4.6m) machine uses 3km of high voltage cables and 10km of diagnostic cables. It uses electromagnetism to fire projectiles at around 20km/s. Machine 3 will be used to further research First Light Fusion's technology as the company seeks to achieve first fusion, which it expects to deliver in 2019. The next step in the technological development will be to achieve 'gain', whereby the amount of energy created outstrips that used to spark the reaction. Nicholas Hawker, Founder and CEO of FLF said:

• Nuclear fusion
• Tokamak
• Voltage
• Ampere

Source: NEI Magazine

Date: Friday, 15 February 2019

Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsfusion-progress-in-uk-and-south-korea-6991692

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