Canadian company manufactures the nuclear reactor that offers the most powerful clean energy source in the world

Much of the scientific community around the world shares a common goal: the search for clean and unlimited energy generation. This means finding a method to produce electricity without relying on vital resources for Earth, such as water. Nuclear fusion is currently the best option to achieve this, but sustaining the plasma at an excessively high temperature is the main barrier to shouting “Eureka!”

A Canadian company, called General Fusion, seems to have unlocked the formula for low-cost clean energy production with its LM26 reactor prototype.

This is a technology that could revolutionize the global consumption of electricity. Unlike traditional tokamak fusion reactors, the LM26 proposes a different approach, based on Magnetized Target Fusion. This system aims to address some of the key challenges that have hindered the commercialization of nuclear fusion.

According to the explanation on the official General Fusion website, the key to their technology lies in their mechanical piston compression mechanism. In the LM26, a hydrogen plasma (deuterium and tritium) is injected into a metal cavity and stabilized by a magnetic field.

After this, a set of pistons strikes the external structure, creating a pressure wave that compresses the plasma to extreme temperatures, achieving the fusion of atoms and releasing energy.

This system is complemented by a metallic fluid, responsible for absorbing and transporting heat for its subsequent conversion into electricity.

Unlike current nuclear fission reactors, this process does not generate long-lasting radioactive waste, nor does it carry the risk of catastrophic accidents. Additionally, it significantly reduces operational costs by avoiding the use of expensive superconducting magnets and highly complex containment systems.

While General Fusion is already developing a demonstration reactor in the United Kingdom, there are still challenges to overcome before seeing this technology in action on a commercial scale.

Similarly, the outlook is encouraging: nuclear fusion promises clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy, which could completely change the way the world meets its electricity consumption.

The company’s achievement has become global news, featuring on the front pages of science and technology media outlets around the world.