SBIR Phase I: A Plasma Heat Engine for Efficient Production of Fusion Energy

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project technology has potential to be transformative in power generation. The ultimate goal of this project is to produce aneutronic fusion energy in a system that is small, simple and inexpensive. This system will produce power that is as clean as renewable energy while simultaneously removing the need for energy storage that is required for intermittent sources like wind and solar power. It utilizes new, innovative physics which has not been incorporated in fusion devices before. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to study a plasma-based fusion device which has two rings that oscillate in the axial and radial directions. The rings will be confined in an axial harmonic oscillator potential. The two rings collide with one another axially when both rings have their maximum axial velocities. Fusion occurs primarily from the relative velocities of the rings, not from the thermal energy in the plasma. This will allow for the use of advanced aneutronic fuels. The primary goal of the phase I is to evaluate the theoretical feasibility of this system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.