Proving FRC fusion stability at scale (Good Clean Energy podcast)

For decades, Field-Reversed Configurations (FRCs) have been one of the most attractive opportunities in fusion because of the large power output, but one of the biggest doubts was whether they scale to power plant conditions. Conventional wisdom says the higher the temperature, the less stable plasma would become. But now according to TAE’s new paper, that roadblock has been cleared.

In this episode of Good Clean Energy, TAE computational physicist Roelof Groenewald shares how he and his team overturned this long-standing assumption. Their research shows that — somewhat paradoxically — FRC plasmas actually become more stable as they heat up. Think of a spinning top or bicycle or basketball spinning on your finger that becomes more stable the faster it spins. This breakthrough, along with TAE’s other enabling technologies, has enormous implications for the future of clean energy.

00:33 Introduction to plasma physics, FRCs, and the challenge of stability
01:50 Comparing FRCs to other fusion approaches
04:22 How FRCs generate their own magnetic fields
05:45 Plasma beta, efficiency, and why FRCs are special
06:41 Why not everyone builds FRCs
07:16 Stability concerns and the tilt problem
09:19 Rosenbluth’s findings and the challenge of scaling FRCs
11:07 Correlation between fast and hot, kinetic energy, and particle speed
12:16 Challenging the old theory with real machines and simulations
15:10 Proving stability at scale, matching math to reality
18:09 Introduction to the simulation code and exascale computing
20:40 Scaling up, confidence in simulation, and future machine design
21:00 Exploring beam configurations and simulation experiments
24:06 Overcoming obstacles, commercialization, and Da Vinci prototype

Full show notes: https://tae.com/proving-frc-fusion-st...

Listen and Follow 'Good Clean Energy' on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Listen and Follow 'Good Clean Energy' on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1plXXkv...

ABOUT TAE TECHNOLOGIES
TAE Technologies was founded in 1998 to develop commercial fusion power with the cleanest environmental profile. The company’s pioneering work represents the fastest, most practical, and economically competitive solution to bring abundant clean energy to the grid.

With more than 2,300 patents filed globally and approximately 1,400 granted, more than $1.2 billion in private capital raised, five generations of National Laboratory-scale devices built along with two more in development, and an experienced team of over 600 employees, TAE is now on the cusp of delivering this transformational energy source capable of sustaining the planet for thousands of years. The company’s revolutionary technologies have produced a robust portfolio of commercial innovations in large adjacent markets such as power management, energy storage, electric mobility, fast charging, life sciences, and more. TAE is based in California, and maintains international offices in the UK, EU, and Switzerland. Multidisciplinary and mission-driven by nature, TAE is leveraging proprietary science and engineering to create a bright future.

STAY CONNECTED
TAE: https://tae.com/
LinkedIn:   / tae-technologies-inc  
Instagram:   / tae_technologies  
Facebook:   / tae  
Twitter:   / tae