Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Last updated

Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Company typePrivate
Industry Energy
Founded2018;6 years ago (2018)
Headquarters
Devens, Massachusetts
,
US
Key people
Bob Mumgaard (CEO) [1]
Number of employees
800 (2024)
Website cfs.energy

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is an American fusion power company founded in 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts after a spin-out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Its stated goal is to build a small fusion power plant based on the ARC tokamak design. [2] It has participated in the United States Department of Energy’s INFUSE public-private knowledge innovation scheme, with several national labs and universities. [3]

Contents

History

CFS was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. [4] After initial funding of $50 million in 2018 from the Italian multinational Eni, [2] CFS closed its series A round of venture capital funding in 2019 with a total of US$ 115 million in funding from Eni, [5] Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Vinod Khosla's Khosla Ventures, and others. [6] [7] CFS raised an additional US$ 84 million in series A2 funding from Singapore's Temasek, Norway's Equinor, and Devonshire Investors, as well as from previous investors. [8] As of October 2020, CFS had approximately 100 employees. [9]

In September 2020, the company reported significant progress in the physics and engineering design of the SPARC tokamak, [1] [10] and in October 2020, the development of a new high temperature superconducting cable, called VIPER. [11] [12] Over the 9-month period from 2019 to 2020, the company purchased over 186 miles of the wire in 400-600 meter lengths from vendors, more than was produced by some vendors over the preceding 6 years. [13]

In March 2021, CFS announced plans to build a headquarters, manufacturing, and research campus (including the SPARC tokamak), in Devens, Massachusetts. [14] [15] Also in 2021, CEO Bob Mumgaard was appointed to the board of directors of the Fusion Industry Association, which was incorporated as a non profit association with a focus on combating climate change. [16]

In September 2021, the company announced the demonstration of a high temperature superconducting magnet, able to generate magnetic fields of 20 Tesla. [17] [18] According to the New York Times, this was a successful test of "the world's most powerful version of the type of magnet crucial to many fusion efforts" [19]

In November 2021, the company raised an additional $1.8 billion in Series B funding to construct and operate the SPARC tokamak, [20] funded by Temasek Holdings, Google, Bill Gates and Eni. [21]

In December the company began construction on SPARC in Devens, Massachusetts. [22]

In March 2022, Axios reported that as a result of sanctions against Russia, CFS faced significant supply chain problems. [23]

By late 2022, CFS had grown to approximately 350 employees and was preparing to move into its Devens campus. [24]

A ceremonial opening for the Devens campus was held in February 2023. [25]

In March 2023, Eni and CFS signed a multi-year agreement to collaborate in obtaining the components and authorizations necessary for the construction of the first SPARC experimental plant, as well as the construction of the first Arc power plant and the identification of countries that may be interested in hosting it. [21]

In May 2023, United States Department of Energy granted the company additional funding along with seven other US companies via the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. [26]

In 2024, Commonwealth Fusion Systems has announced plans to build the world's first grid-scale commercial nuclear fusion power plant at the James River Industrial Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia, which is part of the Greater Richmond Region; the plant will produce about 400 MW of electric power. [27] [28]

Technology

CFS intends to demonstrate net-positive energy in a tokamak via the SPARC tokamak, which will pave the way for a multi-hundred MW electric ARC plant. [29] [30] [31] They plan to achieve this by incorporating a large-bore, high field (20 Tesla) superconducting magnet made of VIPER, a yttrium barium copper oxide superconducting tape. [32] [8] As a high-temperature superconductor, VIPER can sustain higher electric currents and magnetic fields than were previously possible. Previous tokamaks used copper or low-temperature superconducting magnets that need to be large in size to create the magnetic field that is necessary to achieve net energy. The CFS high-temperature superconductor magnet is intended to create much stronger magnetic fields, allowing the tokamaks to be much smaller. [33]

The first magnet of this type was built and tested in 2021. The D-shaped magnet consisted of 16 layers, each containing HTS tape. It weighed 10 tons and stood 8 feet tall, including 165 miles of tape. SPARC will include 18 similar magnets. [22] The magnet technology used in SPARC is intended to give "the world a clear path to fusion power," [33] according to the CFS CEO Bob Mumgaard.

As of October 2024, SPARC was targeted to begin operations in 2026, with the goal of demonstrating net power (Q > 1) in 2027. [34] CFS also plans to build a power plant based on the ARC design [2] at the beginning of the 2030s. [35] Both SPARC and ARC plan to use deuterium-tritium fuel.

SPARC is predicted to have a burning plasma. That means that the fusion process would be predominantly self-heating. [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokamak</span> Magnetic confinement device used to produce thermonuclear fusion power

A tokamak is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field generated by external magnets to confine plasma in the shape of an axially symmetrical torus. The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being developed to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. The tokamak concept is currently one of the leading candidates for a practical fusion reactor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fusion power</span> Electricity generation through nuclear fusion

Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing energy. Devices designed to harness this energy are known as fusion reactors. Research into fusion reactors began in the 1940s, but as of 2024, no device has reached net power, although net positive reactions have been achieved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devens, Massachusetts</span> Census-designated place in Massachusetts, United States

Devens is a regional enterprise zone and census-designated place in the towns of Ayer and Shirley and Harvard in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is the successor to Fort Devens, a military post that operated from 1917 to 1996. The population was 1,697 at the 2020 census, down from 1,840 in 2010.

This timeline of nuclear fusion is an incomplete chronological summary of significant events in the study and use of nuclear fusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITER</span> International nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject

ITER is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy through a fusion process similar to that of the Sun. It is being built next to the Cadarache facility in southern France. Upon completion of construction of the main reactor and first plasma, planned for 2033–2034, ITER will be the largest of more than 100 fusion reactors built since the 1950s, with six times the plasma volume of JT-60SA in Japan, the largest tokamak operating today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reversed field pinch</span> Magnetic field plasma confinement device

A reversed-field pinch (RFP) is a device used to produce and contain near-thermonuclear plasmas. It is a toroidal pinch that uses a unique magnetic field configuration as a scheme to magnetically confine a plasma, primarily to study magnetic confinement fusion. Its magnetic geometry is somewhat different from that of a tokamak. As one moves out radially, the portion of the magnetic field pointing toroidally reverses its direction, giving rise to the term reversed field. This configuration can be sustained with comparatively lower fields than that of a tokamak of similar power density. One of the disadvantages of this configuration is that it tends to be more susceptible to non-linear effects and turbulence. This makes it a useful system for studying non-ideal (resistive) magnetohydrodynamics. RFPs are also used in studying astrophysical plasmas, which share many common features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-15 (reactor)</span>

The T-15 is a Russian nuclear fusion research reactor located at the Kurchatov Institute, which is based on the (Soviet-invented) tokamak design. It was the first industrial prototype fusion reactor to use superconducting magnets to control the plasma. These enormous superconducting magnets confined the plasma the reactor produced, but failed to sustain it for more than just a few seconds. Despite not being immediately applicable, this new technological advancement proved to the USSR that they were on the right path. In the original shape, a toroidal chamber design, it had a major radius of 2.43 m and minor radius 0.7 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnetic confinement fusion</span> Approach to controlled thermonuclear fusion using magnetic fields

Magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) is an approach to generate thermonuclear fusion power that uses magnetic fields to confine fusion fuel in the form of a plasma. Magnetic confinement is one of two major branches of controlled fusion research, along with inertial confinement fusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eni</span> Italian multinational energy company

Eni S.p.A., acronym for and formerly legally known as Ente nazionale idrocarburi, is an Italian multinational energy company headquartered in Rome. It is considered one of the "supermajor" oil companies in the world, with a market capitalization of €50 billion, as of 31 December 2023. The Italian government owns a 30.5% golden share in the company, 1.99% held through the Ministry of Economy and Finance and 28.5% through the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alcator C-Mod</span> Tokamak at MIT

Alcator C-Mod was a tokamak that operated between 1991 and 2016 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). Notable for its high toroidal magnetic field, Alcator C-Mod holds the world record for volume averaged plasma pressure in a magnetically confined fusion device. Until its shutdown in 2016, it was one of the major fusion research facilities in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center</span>

The Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a university research center for the study of plasmas, fusion science and technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSTAR</span> Nuclear fusion research facility in South Korea

The KSTAR is a magnetic fusion device at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy in Daejeon, South Korea. It is intended to study aspects of magnetic fusion energy that will be pertinent to the ITER fusion project as part of that country's contribution to the ITER effort. The project was approved in 1995, but construction was delayed by the East Asian financial crisis, which weakened the South Korean economy considerably; however, the project's construction phase was completed on September 14, 2007. The first plasma was achieved in June 2008.

The beta of a plasma, symbolized by β, is the ratio of the plasma pressure (p = nkBT) to the magnetic pressure (pmag = B2/2μ0). The term is commonly used in studies of the Sun and Earth's magnetic field, and in the field of fusion power designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dynomak</span>

Dynomak is a spheromak fusion reactor concept developed by the University of Washington using U.S. Department of Energy funding.

The ARC fusion reactor is a design for a compact fusion reactor developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). ARC aims to achieve an engineering breakeven of three. The key technical innovation is to use high-temperature superconducting magnets in place of ITER's low-temperature superconducting magnets. The proposed device would be about half the diameter of the ITER reactor and cheaper to build.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rare-earth barium copper oxide</span> Chemical compounds known for exhibiting high temperature superconductivity

Rare-earth barium copper oxide (ReBCO) is a family of chemical compounds known for exhibiting high-temperature superconductivity (HTS). ReBCO superconductors have the potential to sustain stronger magnetic fields than other superconductor materials. Due to their high critical temperature and critical magnetic field, this class of materials are proposed for use in technical applications where conventional low-temperature superconductors do not suffice. This includes magnetic confinement fusion reactors such as the ARC reactor, allowing a more compact and potentially more economical construction, and superconducting magnets to use in future particle accelerators to come after the Large Hadron Collider, which utilizes low-temperature superconductors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SPARC (tokamak)</span> Experimental fusion reactor

SPARC is a tokamak under development by Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). Funding has come from Eni, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Equinor, Devonshire Investors, and others.

Tokamak Energy is a fusion power company based near Oxford in the United Kingdom, established in 2009. The company is pursuing the global deployment of commercial fusion energy in the 2030s through the combined development of spherical tokamaks with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. It is also developing HTS magnet technology for other applications.

The history of nuclear fusion began early in the 20th century as an inquiry into how stars powered themselves and expanded to incorporate a broad inquiry into the nature of matter and energy, as potential applications expanded to include warfare, energy production and rocket propulsion.

In plasma physics, a burning plasma is a plasma that is heated primarily by fusion reactions involving thermal plasma ions. The Sun and similar stars are a burning plasma, and in 2020 the National Ignition Facility achieved a burning plasma in the laboratory. A closely related concept is that of an ignited plasma, in which all of the heating comes from fusion reactions.

References

  1. 1 2 Fountain, Henry (September 29, 2020). "Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is 'Very Likely to Work,' Studies Suggest". New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Chandler, David (March 9, 2018). "MIT and newly formed company launch novel approach to fusion power". MIT News. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  3. ↑ Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics (January 2, 2021). "Future Zero-Emissions Power Plants: Scientists Collaborate on Development of Commercial Fusion Energy". SciTechDaily. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  4. ↑ Tollefson, Jeff (March 9, 2018). "MIT launches multimillion-dollar collaboration to develop fusion energy". Nature. 555 (7696): 294–295. Bibcode:2018Natur.555..294T. doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-02966-3 . PMID   29542724.
  5. ↑ Devlin, Hannah (March 9, 2018). "Nuclear fusion on brink of being realised, say MIT scientists". The Guardian. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  6. ↑ Rathi, Akshat (September 26, 2018). "In search of clean energy, investments in nuclear-fusion startups are heating up". Quartz. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $115 Million and Closes Series A Round to Commercialize Fusion Energy". PR Newswire (Press release). June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $ 84 Million in A2 Round". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  9. ↑ Aut, Kramer David (October 13, 2020). "Investments in privately funded fusion ventures grow". Physics Today. 2020 (2): 1013a. Bibcode:2020PhT..2020b1013.. doi:10.1063/PT.6.2.20201013a. S2CID   243181080.
  10. ↑ "New Scientific Papers Predict Historic Results for Commonwealth Fusion Systems' Approach to Commercial Fusion Energy". Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ "New High-Temperature Superconductor (HTS) Cable Demonstrates High Performance". Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Superconductor technology for smaller, sooner fusion". MIT PSFC. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  13. ↑ Molodyk, A., et al. "Development and large volume production of extremely high current density YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting wires for fusion." Scientific reports 11.1 (2021): 1-11.
  14. ↑ Chesto, Jon (March 3, 2021). "MIT energy startup homes in on fusion, with plans for 47-acre site in Devens". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Selects 47-Acre Site in Devens, Mass., for Historic Commercial Fusion Energy Campus". Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Fusion Industry Association Announces Independent Incorporation and Expansion". Yahoo! Finance . May 5, 2021. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021.
  17. ↑ "MIT-designed project achieves major advance toward fusion energy". MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Commonwealth Fusion Systems creates viable path to commercial fusion power with world's strongest magnet". www.cfs.energy. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  19. ↑ Reed, Stanley (October 18, 2021). "Nuclear Fusion Edges Toward the Mainstream". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Nuclear-Fusion Startup Lands $1.8 Billion as Investors Chase Star Power". Wall Street Journal . December 1, 2021. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Eni joins forces with the American CFS for nuclear fusion: the first prototype in 2025" (in Italian). La Stampa. March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  22. 1 2 Temple, James. "A hole in the ground could be the future of fusion power". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Scoop: Russia sanctions threaten Commonwealth's supply chain". March 21, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Birthplace of a fusion industry? Commonwealth Fusion Systems prepares to open Devens campus". The Harvard Press. Harvard, Massachusetts. October 21, 2022.
  25. ↑ Shane Rhodes (February 16, 2023). "Commonwealth Fusion Systems celebrates newest campus at Devens". Sentinel & Enterprise . Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
  26. ↑ Wang, Brian (May 31, 2023). "Eight Nuclear Fusion Companies Get a Total of $46 Million". NextBigFuture.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  27. ↑ "World's first commercial fusion power plant coming to Chesterfield". 6AM - RICtoday. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Virginia to host world's first fusion power plant". Virginia Mercury. December 18, 2024.
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  30. ↑ Greenwald, Martin (2019). "Fusion Energy: Research at the Crossroads". Joule. 3 (5): 1175–1179. doi: 10.1016/j.joule.2019.03.013 .
  31. ↑ Creely, A. J.; Greenwald, M. J.; Ballinger, S. B.; Brunner, D.; Canik, J.; Doody, J.; Fülöp, T.; Garnier, D. T.; Granetz, R.; Gray, T. K.; Holland, C. (2020). "Overview of the SPARC tokamak". Journal of Plasma Physics. 86 (5). Bibcode:2020JPlPh..86e8602C. doi: 10.1017/S0022377820001257 . hdl: 1721.1/136131 . ISSN   0022-3778.
  32. ↑ Chandler, David (September 8, 2021). "MIT-designed project achieves major advance toward fusion energy". MIT. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  33. 1 2 "PR Newswire", Encyclopedia of Public Relations, Thousand Oaks, CA United States: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2005, doi:10.4135/9781412952545.n322, ISBN   9780761927334 , retrieved April 28, 2022
  34. ↑ Crownhart, Casey (October 1, 2024). "Inside a fusion energy facility". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  35. ↑ "Eni and Commonwealth Fusion Systems, together for fusion energy". Eni.
  36. ↑ "Nuclear Fusion Articles Based on Papers Presented at the 27th Fusion Energy Conference". Nuclear Fusion. 60 (7): 079801. June 12, 2020. Bibcode:2020NucFu..60g9801.. doi:10.1088/1741-4326/ab8cb6. ISSN   0029-5515. S2CID   241625548.
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