Episode 59: The Cherry on Top of Decades of Fusion Development  

Brandon Sorbom, Chief Science Officer and Co-founder of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, is helping spend $3+ billion to turn hydrogen into abundant, safe and readily available energy. In our fourth fusion episode, Brandon educates us on the most time-tested approach to fusion which uses powerful magnets. CFS hopes to deliver commercial energy by the early 2030s. 

0:00 Introduction 

02:33 The Journey from MIT to Commonwealth Fusion Systems 

04:30 Securing Funding and Building Credibility 

05:44 Understanding Fusion and Tokamaks 

08:44 Brandon’s Personal Journey to Fusion 

12:34 Explaining the Tokamak and Fusion Process 

28:23 Neutrons and Energy Conversion 

31:39 High Temperature Superconducting Material 

39:26 Scaling Up Production and Cost Considerations 

42:53 The SPARC Prototype and Its Challenges 

48:23 Transitioning from Spark to ARC 

01:04:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 

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Episode 58: A Novel Path to Fusion Energy 

Will Regan, President and Co-founder of Pacific Fusion, is helping spend $1+ billion to mimic the sun’s method for producing energy. In our third fusion episode, Will educates us on inertial confinement. He discusses the advancements that help smooth Pacific Fusion’s path to delivering commercial energy by the mid-2030s. 

00:00 Welcome to Tech Cars Episode 58 

04:09 Introduction to Pacific Fusion 

07:24 Will Regan’s Journey to Pacific Fusion 

10:57 Explaining Fusion and Inertial Confinement 

19:12 The Engineering and Science Behind Fusion 

21:15 Physical Description of Pacific Fusion’s Facility 

26:03 Understanding Marx Generators 

29:16 Fusion Chamber and Magnetic Compression 

32:34 Energy Output and Power Plant Efficiency 

35:17 Handling Neutrons and Chamber Protection 

38:55 Manufacturability and Supply Chain 

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