In the seminar of Thursday May 2nd at 16:00 CET, Dr. Tom Mehlhorn deliveres an interesting talk on “From KMS Fusion to HB11 Energy and Xcimer Energy, a 50 Year Inertial Fusion Energy Perspective”.
LINK: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87516364714?pwd=GPSFbWDLi9jble0my2cz1KC3rhnrsv.1
Meeting-ID: 875 1636 4714
Kenncode: 205679
Title: From KMS Fusion to HB11 Energy and Xcimer Energy, a 50 Year Inertial Fusion Energy Perspective
Abstract:
The achievement of ignition and gain on NIF has validated scientific basis of inertial confinement fusion (ICF). The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and venture capital funded private companies are again interested in inertial fusion energy (IFE). The new DOE Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program is creating public–private partnerships to accelerate progress toward fusion pilot plants. ARPA-E, DOE INFUSE, and DOE IFE STAR are also building a U.S. IFE program within the DOE. The U.S. leads in ICF, but developing IFE is an international competition. Private companies are leading the way. HB11 Energy Pty Ltd. is pursuing the aneutronic proton–boron fuel cycle while Xcimer Energy is developing a disruptive IFE technology to achieve high laser energies at dramatically lower costs. Dr. Tom Mehlhorn discusses a 50-year perspective and promising strategies for the U.S. IFE program from both public and private viewpoints.
Dr. Tom Mehlhorn is an advisor to several private fusion companies including HB11 Energy Pty LTD, Xcimer Energy, and Fuse Energy. He is also an adjunct professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan, and a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics. From 2009 to 2019 he directed the Naval Research Laboratory Division of Plasma Physics, following a 31-year career in pulsed power fusion and high energy density physics at Sandia National Laboratories. He is the author/coauthor of over 160 papers (H-index=43) and is a fellow of the AAAS, APS Division of Plasma Physics, the IEEE, and the ANS. He received the IEEE NPSS Peter Haas Award (2019) and a Lockheed Martin NOVA Award for Thermonuclear Neutrons on Z (2003).