Simplicity

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" -Leonardo da Vinci

NearStar Fusion is developing a pulsed impact fusion approach using magnetized fuel targets building on Sandia National Laboratory (Z-Machine) method of imploding metallic fuel target liners.

The core technology in NearStar's approach is a hypervelocity plasma armature railgun capable of launching 50-gram fuel capsules at 10 km/s (22,369 mph), roughly 30 times the speed of sound, once per second (1 Hz). The proprietary railgun is a highly efficient fusion driver delivering over 1 MJ of kinetic energy and is constructed using COTS technologies with robust and simplified supply chains.

A major advantage of NearStar's tritium-free approach is avoiding the complexities of supply chain, breeding and first wall materials issues associated with tritium fuel. The NearStar design will leverage deuterium/deuterium (DD) fuel which is universally abundant providing a pathway to energy equality.

The simplicity of NearStar's technology reduces risk, development time, and operating costs while improving reliability and lifespan. NearStar's design heavily leverages existing materials and technologies thereby avoiding major investments in materials science or complicated supply chains.
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The NearStar architecture manages the First Wall Problem using a molten lead thus minimizing damage from neutron embrittlement to enable the use of conventional materials.

A NearStar Fusion power plant is well-suited to scale beyond the inherent limitations of traditional renewables (e.g., weather, storage, transmission), due to the high-energy density of the fuel making it compact, clean, and always-on.

Modular

Many hands make light work

Most power plants are designed, engineered and constructed piece by piece, which is time consuming and expensive. All major components in a NearStar power plant will be mass produced in factories and rapidly assembled on-site in a matter of months, not years, substantially reducing cost. Due to our inherently simple and robust design, a NearStar Fusion power plant could be developed in as little as 10 years. We attribute our speed to market and scalability to four important factors:
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1. Mass Production
The inherent linear modularity of the plant design enables rapid development and parallel mass production of the fusion driver, reaction chamber, fuel capsule and balance of plant. The linear modularity of the plant also simplifies component access and ease of maintenance.

2. COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf)
We plan to maximize the use of existing technologies (e.g. electrolytic capacitors, solid-state switches) and conventional materials (e.g. tungsten alloys), thus eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming advanced materials R&D. Existing technologies and materials will also support a robust and simplified supply chain to reduce the threat of delays and cost-overruns.

3. Scalable to Market
NearStar Fusion is able to address the entire range of energy markets (e.g. 50MW to 1GW+). The scalability would enable heavy industry, server farms, municipalities and megacities to achieve self-sufficient power.
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Viable

Commercial viability is a key factor for fusion energy to make the climate change impact we need to reach our 2050 Carbon Neutrality goals. The NearStar team understands power plants economics and has baked those requirements into the design since the beginning.

1. Deuterium/Deuterium (DD) Fuel
Deuterium is inexpensive and universally available in our oceans allowing for a simple supply chain to provide the world with fusion fuel. By avoiding tritium as a fuel source, the overhead and complexity required to operate the power plant is significantly reduced.

2. Regulatory
‍In July of 2024, the ADVANCE Act was passed in effect regulating fusion power plants similar to nuclear medicine facilities in hospitals.  The law will simplify the permitting process and reduce overhead in operating a commercial power plant.

3. Operations and Maintenance
The NearStar design provides easy access to power plant subsystems allowing for less downtime and maintenance costs. Recruiting a workforce for a NearStar power plants is practical across the country by upskilling the existing labor force.

Investment