Designing a Power Plant Based on Laser Fusion Continues
The California-based Longview Fusion Energy Systems has signed a contract with the American engineering and construction company Fluor Corporation to design the world’s first commercial power plant based on laser fusion.
In April 2023, Fluor signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Longview to become its engineering and construction partner in the design and planning of the commercialization of laser fusion energy.
According to the California-based company, Fluor will leverage its global experience in the design and construction of complex, large-scale facilities to provide preliminary design and engineering to support the development of Longview’s fusion power plant. The company notes that it will not build a demonstration facility but will focus on designing and building the world’s first laser fusion power plant to power communities and businesses.
This is made possible by historic breakthroughs in fusion energy production at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility.
On December 5, 2022, for the first time in history, the National Ignition Facility managed to conduct a controlled experiment that produced more energy than was spent on its conducting. The experiment used 192 laser beams to deliver more than 2 million joules (MJ) of ultraviolet energy to a deuterium-tritium fuel pellet to create what is known as fusion ignition – also known as scientific energy breakeven. By achieving a yield of 3.15 MJ of fusion energy from 2.05 MJ of fuel input, the experiment demonstrated for the first time the fundamental scientific basis of fusion energy in inertial confinement.
According to Longview’s plan, laser fusion power plants with a capacity of up to 1600 MW will provide electricity or industrial production of environmentally friendly materials and fuels that will decarbonize heavy industry in the future.
According to World Nuclear News