December 2019
TAE Technologies Wins Three INFUSE Awards to Further Fusion Energy Research
U.S. Department of Energy’s Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program grants access to national laboratory support
TAE Technologies, Inc., the world’s largest private fusion energy company, has been awarded three funding partnerships for continued fusion research through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fusion Energy Science’s (FES) Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program. These awards signify federal support for TAE Technologies’ pursuit of clean, safe, cost-effective, scalable, fusion energy, and a continued recognition that it is a viable effort worth public funding and collaboration.
TAE Technologies was one of six successful applicants to the INFUSE program and received three of twelve total awards granted.
By gaining both funding support and access to INFUSE resources, TAE Technologies’ scientists and researchers will accelerate the development of innovative technologies that can help realize commercial fusion power plants capable of providing carbon-free baseline electricity production around the world.
TAE Technologies was awarded funding to study three particular areas in conjunction with the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL):
- Using the HYM 3D particle-in-cell code developed at PPPL to study the synergistic effects of neutral beam injection and end biasing on the global stability of FieldReversed Configuration (FRC) plasmas in conditions relevant to the company’s current experimental device, Norman, and the planned next-step device, a net energy prototype called Copernicus;
- Examining the feasibility of implementing Doppler Free Saturation Spectroscopy (DFSS) to measure the magnetic and electric fields profiles in Norman’s FRC plasma;
- And performing HFW simulations in FRC plasma by using Petra-M code and the 4strap antenna geometry implemented in Large Plasma Device (LAPD) under different plasma conditions.
“We are very pleased to earn inclusion into the INFUSE program, and the opportunity to extend our collaboration with ORNL and PPPL’s high-quality research and advanced technology resources,” said Michl Binderbauer, CEO of TAE Technologies. “To see support coming from the governmental side for our private efforts furthers the collective hope for realizing commercial-scale fusion energy faster than many realize.”
INFUSE is a pilot program that addresses the nation’s energy, environmental and security needs by resolving industrial-scale issues of technology, cost, and safety. INFUSE seeks to accelerate fusion energy development in the private sector by reducing impediments to collaboration and facilitating corporate partnership with the expertise and unique resources available at DOE laboratories. DOE-FES will provide fiscal year 2019 funds for business awards to assist applicants seeking access to the world-class expertise and capabilities available across the U.S. DOE complex.
For more information on TAE Technologies and the benefits of fusion energy, contact us.
ABOUT TAE TECHNOLOGIES
TAE Technologies (pronounced T-A-E) was founded in 1998 to develop commercial fusion power with the cleanest environmental profile, and represents the fastest, most practical, and economically competitive solution to bring abundant energy to the grid. With over 900 issued patents, more than $880 million in private capital, six generations of National Laboratory-scale devices, and an experienced team of over 250 employees, TAE is now on the cusp of delivering this transformational energy source capable of sustaining the planet for centuries. The company’s revolutionary technologies have produced a robust portfolio of commercial innovations in other large adjacent markets such as power management, energy storage, transmission, electric mobility, life sciences, and more. TAE is based in California, and maintains international offices in the UK and Switzerland. Multidisciplinary and mission-driven by nature, TAE is leveraging proprietary science and engineering to create a bright future for us.