A new radical form of nuclear fusion reactor technology, have been engineered by a team of scientists in Australia. They also claim that they have secured the patents too.
A New Approach to Nuclear Fusion
The project called Startup HB11, comes out of the University of New South Wales, and have received patents in U.S,China and Japan.
The company is using advanced lasers for triggering nuclear fusion in hydrogen and boron. No radioactive fuel is used for this purpose. The secret is attributed to the cutting-edge nature of their laser, and a huge amount of luck.
The process is explained like this. As the laser does not heat the materials, but instead it increases the speed of Hyrogen till it collides with boron, thus initiating a reaction.Warren McKenzie, managing director of the project, claims that , they are using the hydrogen as a dart, hoping that it will hit a boron, thus starting a fusion reaction.
He also added that HB11’s approach is more precise ,compared to previous designs which used heat to approach a fusion reaction. In such a heat-fueled reaction, materials are heated to increase the chance of collision through increased kinetic energy.
Energy Production – A New Source
When a hydrogen particle fuses with a boron particle, the reaction flings helium atoms — without electrons and provides a positive charge. This charge acts as the source of electricity. This theory was developed by UNSW professor Heinrich Hora, who says that he was investigating on a laser -boron fusion approach for many years. We can say that it’s his life’s work.
If his dreams become true, we can expect a new world of energy production, without the dangers of radiation or extreme levels of heat.