A startup, OpenStar Technologies, is pioneering a new approach to fusion energy by replicating the sun’s structure in its reactor design. The company’s founder and CEO, Ratu Mataira, believes that using a dipole magnet instead of traditional donut-shaped tokamaks could be humanity’s best shot at achieving commercial-scale fusion energy.
OpenStar’s design is based on nature’s own magnetic field, which provides stability and reduces the complexity of creating and maintaining plasma. By placing a superconducting magnet in the center of the reactor, surrounded by a ball of thermonuclear glowing gas, the company aims to harness the power of fusion reactions.
The recent “first plasma” achievement by OpenStar demonstrates the potential of this approach. The company plans to extend its development with future iterations, including on-board cooling and batteries to sustain the magnet’s energy output. Its ultimate goal is to produce a smaller, more efficient reactor that can generate net power.
While commercialization is still a long way off, OpenStar Technologies’ innovation could make fusion energy more feasible and viable for widespread adoption. With its focus on nature-inspired design, the company may have found a solution to overcome the engineering challenges currently plaguing the field of fusion energy research.
Source: https://spectrum.ieee.org/dipole-fusion-reactor