Nextbigfuture interviewed Helion Energy CEO David Kirtley

Nextbigfuture interviewed Helion Energy CEO David Kirtley. An NSF, NASA, and DOD fellow, Dr. Kirtley has 13 years of experience in nuclear engineering, fusion, and aerospace and holds Nuclear and Aerospace Engineering degrees from the University of Michigan. He leads the MSNW propulsion research and development, serves as Helion’s CEO, and has raised and managed many high technology programs.

Helion Energy is trying to achieve commercial Magneto-Inertial Fusion. This combines the stability of steady magnetic fusion and the heating of pulsed inertial fusion, a commercially practical system has been realized that is smaller and lower cost than existing programs. Their system magnetically accelerates the plasmoids down long tapered tubes until they collide and compress in a central chamber wrapped by a magnetic coil

Helion Energy has raised $2 million from Peter Thiel and Y Combinator.

They plan to perform the remaining research and experiments to enable to final design of their breakeven Fusion engine.
The breakeven machine will need about $35 million in funding (2015-2016) and the target is to develop it in 2016.

If all proceeds on schedule then a Helion Energy machine that that proves commercial energy gain would be a 50 Megawatt system built in 2019. $200 million will be needed for the commercial pilot plant. The plan would be to start building commercial systems by 2022.

Dr David Kirtley kindly indicated that he felt the discussions on Nextbigfuture were the most technically interesting.

Previously there was talk about creating a fusion engine to help burn fission waste (unburned fission fuel) but that would be using neutrons. Producing sufficient neutrons and engineering a system that could perform that way is actually more difficult than going with a pure aneutronic fusion approach.

Helion Energy has done the research and computational work that show that Previously there was talk about creating a fusion engine to help burn fission waste (unburned fuel). However, the engineering and challenges for tailoring a neutron generating fusion system are more difficult than aneutronic fusion.

Now the work indicates that aneutronic Helium 3 – Deuterium is best path forward.

2D+3He→ 4He+ 1p+ 18.3 MeV

Prototypes every two years

Another view of the fourth prototype

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