Fuse Federal announces the signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia). This strategic collaboration will accelerate the development of next generation pulsed power technologies critical for ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent as well as advancing fusion energy, a clean and limitless future energy source.
This collaboration will leverage Sandia’s expertise in high-energy density physics and Fuse’s novel and proven approach to building pulsed power systems to accelerate the world’s transition to fusion energy. Dr. Daniel Sinars, Director of the Pulsed Power Sciences Center at Sandia, commented,
“Our purpose at Sandia is to support our nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile in the absence of underground testing through exceptional science and engineering. As a national laboratory, we also seek to support advances in private industry where appropriate. When Fuse Federal approached us with a proposal to jointly advance pulsed power technology and fusion science, we saw an opportunity to improve Sandia’s capabilities for stewardship science.”
Fuse’s approach to fusion is inspired by Sandia’s Z Machine, which aids scientists in understanding how materials behave under extreme conditions, supports the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) stockpile stewardship mission, and advances fusion research. Fuse plans to build larger and more capable commercial versions of the Z Machine for government and commercial use and has successfully built and tested the underlying pulsed power technology with a demonstrator module named TITAN.
The company has demonstrated over 100 successful shots on TITAN, which is the world’s first impedance-matched Marx Generator (IMG) pulsed power driver of its kind. TITAN is more compact, efficient, and cheaper than current pulsed power drivers. With TITAN, Fuse is the first company to demonstrate energy delivery at twice the efficiency of traditional Marx generators, critical for practical fusion generation.
JC Btaiche, CEO of Fuse, remarked,
“On the heels of our successful demonstration of TITAN, partnering with Sandia marks the next big milestone for Fuse Federal. The technology that will propel us to fusion energy is the same technology that can be used now to ensure U.S. strategic deterrence. We’re proud to contribute to U.S. national security while also advancing our mission to achieve clean, reliable fusion energy.”
Advancing Public-Private Partnerships
Much like how the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program was a public-private partnership that enabled SpaceX to develop new cargo spacecraft and launch vehicles, Fuse Federal plans work with U.S. Government entities to shape and execute milestone-based, extreme high power testing for U.S. national security needs while maintaining progress on the path to commercial fusion power.
Fuse Federal is dedicated to advancing a public-private partnership model with the U.S. Government to develop more cost-effective and reliable large-scale pulsed power devices and facilities. By partnering with the U.S. Government, Fuse Federal plans to deploy its pulsed power devices to serve both national security and commercial customers. This novel approach allows for shared financial responsibilities while pursuing similar technological advancements, effectively reducing risk for both government and industry.
SOURCE: PRNewswire