(Newswire.net — October 16, 2014) — Compact nuclear fusion reactors could power up cities, from the back of the truck. The first factory of commercial nuclear fusion reactor could be started within a decade, Lockheed’s officials said.
As the Pentagon’s largest supplier, Lockheed has become increasingly involved in a variety of alternate energy projects, including several ocean energy projects, but the development of a nuclear fusion reactor would be more than a milestone and could power the whole planet.
A small team of scientists led by Tom McGuire, have allegedly been developing the first nuclear fusion energy reactor in a secret Lockheed Martin facility for about four years. Now, they have gone public in order to find potential partners in the industry and the government for their project.
Initial work demonstrated the feasibility of building a 100-megawatt reactor measuring seven feet by 10 feet, which could fit on the back of a large truck, and is about 10 times smaller than current reactors, McGuire told reporters.
As estimated, there will be a 40 percent to 50 percent increase in energy use over the next generation, McGuire said. Amid increased global conflicts over energy, nuclear fusion power generators could help lower the tensions over energy, said McGuire.
“We can make a big difference on the energy front,” McGuire said, noting Lockheed’s 60 years of research on nuclear fusion as a potential energy source that is safer and more efficient than current reactors based on nuclear fission.
Nuclear fusion reactors use deuterium-tritium fuel, which can generate nearly 10 million times more energy than the same amount of fossil fuels, the company said. On the same account, compact nuclear fusion would produce far less waste than coal-powered plants. The company said, future reactors could use a different fuel and eliminate radioactive waste completely.
Lockheed could build and test fusion in as little as a year, which should lead to an operational reactor in 10 years, McGuire said.
“What makes our project really interesting and feasible is that timeline as a potential solution,” McGuire said.