A few more details on the students’ device may be found here and here. According to those sources, it is a cylindrical device composed of plastic and aluminum. It receives its energy from a wall socket. It apparently electrostatically focuses a hydrogen beam at a target of frozen deuterium. I suppose it would be categorized as either beam-target or inertial confinement fusion. Given that the phrase “inertial confinement” appears in the title of their project, I guess I’ll go with ICF. The device has achieved fusion on three occasions so far.

The students won first place in the electrical and mechanical engineering category of the Beaverton Hillsboro Science Exposition, and will be going on to compete at the Intel Northwest Science Expo on April 1st.

An interesting note: one of the students was inspired by the movie Iron Man to develop his own fusion reactor.

I think Fusion Community is the best fit, even if these students were off most fusion researchers’ and enthusiasts’ radars until now. I don’t know that I’d call their device a contender until we know more about it (which I’m hoping will happen in a month). It’s achieved fusion on three occasions, but so can Farnsworth fusors, and most people don’t regard the conventional* Farnsworth fusor as a contender for break even.

*Funny how time (or familiarity) changes perspectives. Joan Lisa Bromberg in her 1982 book referred to Farnsworth’s device as “exotic”.

Not much new, but I just came across an article from May 21. Among the highlights are that the project has achieved sustained fusion for 10 minutes at a time and that it has generated 25 kilovolts of power. The students are now shooting for 100 kilovolts.

Question: if it receives its energy from a wall socket (120 volts in the US) and produces 25,000 volts of power, does that mean it already has a fusion energy gain of about 200? Or am I misunderstanding something? Of course, that doesn’t include the inefficiencies involved in converting the neutrons to heat, the heat to steam, the steam to kinetic energy, and the kinetic energy to electricity, but still….

Thanks, that makes more sense.

Although I’m beginning to wonder now: is it possible the journalist heard the phrases “25 kiloelectron volts” and “100 kiloelectron volts” mentioned and decided the “electron” part was unnecessary?

What sort of reactor are you looking to build? A DPF, a Farnsworth fusor, or some other type? I would be interested, although I don’t really have any practical experience, but I’m well to the south of you. I don’t know how many forum members are in your area. It seems we’re rather spread out except for the few clustered around New Jersey and New York City.