New Extraordinary claims of a nuclear fusion breakthrough in Australia

A new Kachan report on new safer, cleaner nuclear technology, interviewed dozens of scientists at nuclear research outfits like Flibe Energy, General Atomics, General Fusion, Helion Energy, Hyperion Power Generation, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), Invap, Lightbridge, NuScale, Ottawa Valley Research, QPower, Radix Power and Energy Corp, Rare Earth Extraction Co., Rhodia, Scandinavian Advanced Technology (SCATEC), Terra Power, Thor Energy, Thorium One International, Tri Alpha Energy and U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF). (H/T Al fin)

UPDATE – The extraordinary claim is probably from Star Scientific which is working on muon nuclear fusion. They claim to be able to generate Pions with over one hundreds times greater efficiency. Muon fusion has been studied extensively for 50 years and national labs in the US and Japan had achieved 40% return on energy.

One interviewee, in a face-to-face conversation told us of a small company he’s involved with that he claims has built a working 1 megawatt fusion reactor the size of a rice cooker (though it’s dubious that approximation includes the requisite shielding, cooling, turbines, etc.) The company is now apparently in the process of building a 10MW version that it plans to trial in 2012.

For a 40-watt power input, the reactor is said to be able to generate a megawatt. The company is based in Australia.

The technology’s inventor has apparently tinkered with his design for 40 years, and self-funded the company’s early stages, reinvesting income from earlier lucrative inventions. Now, strategic investors are said to include family money, such as a Shanghai real estate baron and decedents of American industrialist John Pitcairn, Jr.

Culture of secrecy: The company’s secrecy about its actual progress makes Apple look sophomoric. In development since the 90s, it has sworn employees and investors not to let on how successful its research has been. It’s said to have retained the former head of Israel’s counter terrorism unit as its chief of security.

No to takeover offers: The company is said to have already fielded a buyout attempt by General Electric (NYSE:GE). The founder apparently didn’t want the invention owned by just one corporation, characterizing it an invention for mankind, apparently.

Requisite military involvement: The company is said to be secretly working with the Australian Air Force and Navy, and the U.S. Department of Defense, and aims to trial a 10MW version of its reactor in 2012 with an Australian utility.

The $1295 report claims to provide more details of this breakthrough, but there is no information about it in the table of contents or the executive summary

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