So you’ve heard the line, “Fusion is 30 years away… and always will be.”
Unfortunately, it was once a line with a ring of truth to it, but it’s now way out of date, as this fusion retrospective shows:
Long-time HB11 Energy consultant and now Lead Theoretician, Prof. Tom Mehlhorn, whose career started with the excitement of fusion in the 1970’s, has seen the ups and downs of the industry across US National laboratories, funding agencies, scientific results (or lack thereof) and now private fusion companies.
With laser fusion now clearly in the limelight, Prof. Mehlhorn has published a historical perspective of the evolution of the private laser fusion industry, to explain why it is different this time: A peer reviewed journal paper From KMS Fusion to HB11 Energy and Xcimer Energy, a personal 50-year IFE perspective was recently published in the scientific journal, Physics of Plasmas.
HB11 Energy congratulates Tom for documenting and publishing this important chapter in the history books of energy production. We’re pleased to be featured in his story as a “Core Fusion company” that is looking to enable the hydrogen-boron fusion concept, which will simplify many of the engineering issues that may prevent other fuel types from reaching economic viability. Tom’s paper also mentions our friends at Xcimer Energy, who are developing key technologies that will be needed to make Inertial Fusion Energy a reality – specifically, 10 MJ class lasers.
We are delighted to have a true veteran like Tom Mehlhorn choose HB11 Energy among the ever-expanding line-up of fusion companies, as ‘the horse that could finally win the race for fusion energy’.
Download Scientific Paper
Download Physics of Plasma: From KMS Fusion to HB11 Energy and Xcimer Energy, a personal 50-year IFE perspective – A historical perspective of the evolution of the private laser fusion industry by Prof. Tom Mehlhorn
