2023-07-15 12:12:08
With nuclear fusion propulsion, space travel could last 3 times less than with current technologies. In this vision, Pulsar Fusion has begun building the largest nuclear fusion rocket engine in the world. The fusion chamber, which measures 9.8 meters long, will be the seat of temperatures higher than those prevailing in the heart of the Sun when it is fired next year. In-orbit testing is scheduled for 2027.
Pulsar Fusion has been involved in the design of nuclear fusion rocket engines for about ten years now. Currently in phase 3 of the project’s development, the company plans to carry out the first static tests by next year and in-orbit tests in 2027.
To obtain the thrust force necessary for a rocket to lift off, the fusion chamber will have to reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees — a key parameter for nuclear fusion reactions. Since these temperatures are higher than those of the Sun’s core, the chamber will temporarily become the hottest place in the solar system.
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The energy released by the fusion engine could allow the rocket to reach speeds ranging from 110 to 350 kilometers per second. ” Our current satellite motors that we manufacture today at Pulsar produce up to 40 kilometers per second in exhaust velocity. We hope to achieve more than 10 times that with the fusion “, explains in a communiqué Pulsar Fusion CEO Richard Dinan.
If all goes according to plan, Pulsar Fusion could revolutionize space travel. With the speed obtained by this first device, the travel time to Mars would be divided by 3 (2-3 months instead of 6-8), while Saturn and Pluto would be reached in only 2 and 4 years respectively. In comparison, the journey to Saturn would take about 8 years with current technologies, or 4 times longer. If the technology proves viable, it could evolve into even shorter travel times.
A push of 100 newtons
The engine developed by Pulsar Fusion uses Direct Fusion Drive (DFD). This is an innovative concept for steady-state fusion propulsion, achieved through a compact fusion reactor. Instead of converting the released energy into electricity, the charged particles directly create thrust. This feature makes the fusion engine more efficient than fuel-powered ones, as it is powered by isotopes. In addition, there is thus no payload of fuel – which can represent several tens of tons for conventional devices.
The DFD motor can provide power in the order of megawatts, allowing a thrust of 10 to 101 newtons. At the same time, this power could also ensure the power supply of spacecraft, in which the engine could be integrated. Thus, the technology could provide opportunities for short-duration space exploration over large distances, as well as an incredibly high payload-to-propellant mass ratio.
Computer modeling has demonstrated that the engine can propel a space device weighing approximately one ton at very high speed. It should be noted that nuclear fusion reactions are also easier to perform in space than on Earth, the cold and space vacuum being particularly beneficial to them.
However, the start-up is still facing a major challenge today, in particular the stabilization of reactions at the level of the fusion chamber. According to James Lambert, CFO of Pulsar Fusion, “The challenge is learning how to retain and confine the super hot plasma in an electromagnetic field.”
Gain Stability with Machine Learning
The behavior of plasma is more or less comparable to that of a weather system, that is, it is very unpredictable — especially taking it to hundreds of millions of degrees. Indeed, the magnetohydrodynamics and the gyrokinetics of the plasma make it particularly subject to the change of state. ”
Scientists have not been able to control the turbulent plasma because it is heated to hundreds of millions of degrees and the reaction simply stops “, explains Dinan.
Diagram showing the principle of operation of the nuclear fusion thruster of Pulsar Fusion. © Pulsar Fusion
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Like that taking place in the Sun, nuclear fusion consists of confining ultrahot plasma within a powerful electromagnetic field. The difficulty encountered by Pulsar Fusion thus lies in stabilizing this plasma in an electromagnetic field that is both colossal and confined to a very restricted area – and this for a long period of time. This step is essential to allow the high density plasma obtained to provide the necessary power to the motor.
To overcome this challenge, Pulsar Fusion engineers relied on machine learning to set the best stabilization parameters. To do this, they previously extracted data from the Princeton Field Inverted Configuration Reactor (PFRC) to integrate them into computer simulations to better predict the behavior of plasma under electromagnetic confinement. The PFRC is part of a series of plasma physics experiments aimed at evaluating an optimal configuration for the most powerful fusion reactors. The technology is particularly aimed at application to DFD motors.
In addition to space travel, Pulsar Fusion’s technology could also be applied to some current experimental nuclear fusion systems.
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