General Fusion and TRIUMF sign MOU to develop key technologies for new LM26 fusion machine

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Published Oct 25, 2023 • 3 minute read

RICHMOND, British Columbia, Oct. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre, and General Fusion, an international leader in the development of commercial fusion energy, announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides a framework for scientific and technical collaboration. Under the terms of the agreement, the two globally recognized B.C. innovators will work together to design diagnostics that will advance General Fusion’s technology and prove the performance of the company’s new Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) demonstration, called Lawson Machine 26 (LM26). This groundbreaking machine is designed to reach fusion conditions in 2025 and set a path for scientific breakeven equivalent in 2026.

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TRIUMF and General Fusion will collaborate on projects in key areas including neutron diagnostics and a state-of-the-art ion temperature diagnostic for LM26. The information from these diagnostics will be critical in verifying that LM26 achieves fusion conditions, reaching temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius, or 10 keV, and will be used to drive General Fusion’s progress towards scientific breakeven equivalent. Additionally, the data will provide important inputs into confirming the costs and size of General Fusion’s commercial scale machine, putting the company on course to bring clean fusion energy onto the electricity grid by the early to mid-2030s.

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This diagnostic work builds upon the existing relationship between TRIUMF and General Fusion that began in 2022. Incorporating TRIUMF’s expertise into General Fusion’s development of innovative technologies, from initial concepts to final design and manufacturing, will help to ensure the technology deployed is practical for commercial power plants. Moving forward, General Fusion will also leverage TRIUMF’s experience with large-scale physics machines to develop interfaces that efficiently analyze and interpret information for operators of LM26.

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Quotes:

“British Columbia is a hub for technology innovation and General Fusion is pleased to advance our transformative LM26 machine with an organization that is both local and has international renown,” said Greg Twinney, CEO, General Fusion. “We look forward to drawing from TRIUMF’s deep well of knowledge and abilities to help drive toward our goal to achieve scientific breakeven by 2026.”

“TRIUMF is very pleased to be continuing our ongoing work with General Fusion and support their efforts in progressing a new form of clean energy technology,” commented Kathryn Hayashi, CEO of TRIUMF Innovations, TRIUMF’s commercialization arm. “For decades, our lab has fostered global research collaborations in innovation and science that overcome monumental barriers, and we see that same ambition and passion driving the work carried out by General Fusion. We are eager to apply our expertise and resources to help develop the technology they require to make commercial fusion power a reality.”

Quick Facts:

General Fusion is fast-tracking its technical progress to provide commercial fusion energy to the grid by the early to mid-2030s. The company’s new LM26 machine, being built at its Richmond headquarters, will integrate the company’s operational plasma injector with a simplified compression system.The results from LM26 will validate the company’s ability to compress magnetized plasmas in a repeatable manner and achieve fusion conditions without requiring expensive superconducting magnets, or high-powered lasers. The data gathered from LM26 will then be incorporated into the design of the company’s planned commercial scale demonstration in the UK.Established in Vancouver in 1968, TRIUMF has an international reputation for pushing the frontiers of science and innovation. This includes the development of technologies to address fundamental and applied problems in particle and nuclear physics, as well as the materials and life sciences.General Fusion will leverage TRIUMF’s existing capabilities in high energy particle physics, materials science and testing to support the development of General Fusion’s Magnetized Target Fusion technology.

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About General Fusion
General Fusion is pursuing a fast and practical approach to commercial fusion energy and is headquartered in Richmond, B.C. The company was established in 2002 and is funded by a global syndicate of leading energy venture capital firms, industry leaders and technology pioneers. Learn more at generalfusion.com.

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About TRIUMF
Established in 1968 in Vancouver, TRIUMF is Canada’s particle accelerator centre. The lab is a hub for discovery and innovation inspired by a half-century of ingenuity in answering some of nature’s most challenging questions. From the hunt for the smallest particles in our universe and the origin of the elements that make up our world to research that advances the next generation of batteries, quantum computers or cures for cancer, TRIUMF is pushing frontiers in research, while training the next generation of leaders in science, medicine, and industry.

TRIUMF Media Relations
Stu Shepherd
Head, Communications
1.604.222.7528
sshepherd@triumf.ca
@TRIUMFlab