Sign up for LPP Seminar tomorrow!

Posted by DerekShannon on Dec 20, 2010 at 03:50 PM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - MIDDLESEX, NJ—For New Jersey tech start-up Lawrenceville Plasma Physics (LPP), the Winter Solstice is a reminder that while the sun is a fantastic source of energy, it can be fickle when it comes to sharing its rays.  “The sun is our very own fusion generator in the sky,” points out LPP technician and Business Development Director Derek Shannon.  “But just like the wind, it’s not always there for us.  On the shortest day of the year, we hope to raise awareness about other sources of renewable energy, as well.” 

If LPP’s research goes as planned, those other sources will include fusion generators based on an inexpensive device called the dense plasma focus.  The fuel will be a small amount of the elements hydrogen and boron.  This approach is called “Focus Fusion.”  “These generators will be like miniature suns that never set,” enthuses Shannon.

But isn’t fusion…nuclear?  Due to the uncertainties inherent in fusion research, LPP also supports the Focus Fusion Society (“FFS”), a nonprofit organization that advocates for greater diversity in fusion research overall, so that the right approach to fusion can be found sooner rather than later.  FFS Executive Director Rezwan Razani explains, “Focus fusion is trying for an advanced kind of fusion that is ‘aneutronic,’ which means no neutrons.  So while fusion is nuclear, it’s very different from the nuclear energy of today, and with focus fusion there is no radioactive fuel or waste.”  In fact, the waste product of LPP’s planned five megawatt generators would be helium, the harmless gas commonly found in party balloons.  Five megawatts could power a neighborhood of a thousand homes, and LPP says a focus fusion generator could fit in a typical garage, since the commercial version should not be much larger than the company’s experimental device.

That device is called “Focus Fusion-1,” or FoFu for short.  LPP has used the specially designed FoFu to achieve fusion reactions at the company’s lab in Middlesex since October 2009, already achieving record relative fusion yields.  So are global warming and oil shortages a thing of the past?  “Not yet,” answers Shannon.  “We need to complete the ongoing feasibility study to show that we can get more energy out than we put in.  But we hope to get there next year, which would be a huge shortcut compared to the big government programs.”  While it would be great to have fusion in 2015 instead of 2050, there are challenges ahead, including temperatures that must reach several billion degrees. 

Seminar sign up details

LPP’s lead scientist Eric Lerner will discuss the steps required to achieve a fusion breakthrough at “Understanding Energy Possibilities: The Focus Fusion Solstice Seminar,” hosted by the Somerset County Business Partnership.  The seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, December 21, 2010, from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 P.M. at the offices of the Business Partnership, 360 Grove Street at Route 22 East, Bridgewater, New Jersey.  Shannon will discuss the implications for New Jersey businesses and how state agencies are starting to take note.  Razani will discuss fusion, culture, and creativity.

Pre-registration is recommended and may be accomplished at http://events.SCBP.org or by emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), to which media and other inquiries should also be addressed.  As part of its outreach and education mission, the Focus Fusion Society will stream the event live online from http://www.ustream.tv/user/focusfusion  A li.ght lunch highlighting some international Solstice traditions will be served.