This week we discover a breakthrough in Hypersonic Flight. We also examine a new technique to help the blind to see again and we catch up on some new developments in generating Fusion Energy.
Hypersonic Flight
We have seen various attempts at creating shorter flight times around the world. The Concord could reach twice the speed of sound (Mach 2) and flew from London to New York in just less than 3 hours. Since the Concord went out of service in 2003 there has not been an alternative to the slower commercial flights (6 hours from London to New York).
A team from the University of Central Florida is seeking to change that. How about flying from London to New York in 45 minutes! The team has developed a way of stabilizing detonation for hypersonic propulsion.
This development provides a way for integration of ultra high speed detonation technology and thus hypersonic propulsion into advanced power systems. Using an oblique detonation wave the system would allow for air travel speeds from Mach 6 to Mach 17.
An oblique detonation wave produces a continuous detonation that is stable and fixed in space. This makes for an extremely efficient and controllable propulsion system that generates significantly more power whilst using less fuel than current technologies (such as Scramjets).
The prototype design is relatively close to what a full-scale production model would look like. The challenge now is to learn how to dynamically alter the fuel mix, flow and speed and ramp angle (piece in the diagram that is colored red and yellow) to keep a detonation stable, reliable and controllable over a wide range of operating conditions.
The technology will not only speed up commercial flights it will also improve how spacecraft are launched into space. There will no longer be the need for rocket boosters to launch rockets into space. There are also military applications as no radar or missile defense system (currently in existence) can cope with an object moving at Mach 17. Explosives would not be needed to destroy a target. All you would have to do is hit it.
Helping the Blind See
A team in Basel in Switzerland has used a novel gene therapy to help partially restore the sight of a blind man. The process involves injecting patients in the eye with an optogenetic sensor expressing gene therapy and then activating the genes with light producing goggles.
The blind man suffered from Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) which is a genetic disorder that causes a breakdown in cells in the retina. The top layer of the retina is a photosensitive layer and the bottom layer is the ganglion layer (which transmits information to the brain). The middle is basically a computational layer in the eye that computes visual information. In RP the top layer is damaged however the rest of the retina is intact.
The optogenetic therapy created an artificial photosensitive layer in the blind retina. This was one patient in a single trial however it is a proof of concept for a new gene therapy. When he was wearing the goggles, the patient was able to see stripes and detect objects on a table, grasp those objects and count them. Since the first study a second cohort of patients has been successfully treated with a third about to get underway. This success may also be a hint at effective solutions for a variety of types of blindness.
Progress with Nuclear Fusion
Fusion is the process by which the sun gives us warmth and light every day. There are multiple projects working to replicate this process on earth. We have talked about a few before here. Several projects made breakthrough announcements in the last couple of weeks. Whilst commercial fusion is still some time away (5 to 25 years depending upon which “expert” is commentating) progress is being made.
China’s Artificial Sun
China’s fusion project was due to be built by the end of 2019 however, as with all large complex projects everywhere, it was late. The reactor was powered up for the first time in December 2020.
Recently the reactor, called HL-2M Tokamak or the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), achieved plasma temperature of 120 million degrees C for 101 seconds and 160 million C for 20 seconds. To operate a fusion reactor on earth it is expected that a temperature of 150 million C will need to be sustained. The sun’s temperature is 15 million C however the vastly greater gravity on the sun allows a fusion reaction at a much lower temperature.
This is a significant step forward for fusion development however the Director of the China Center for Energy Economics at Xiamen University stated that an operating fusion reactor is still 30 years away (2050’s).
Tokamak Exhaust System
One of the largest hurdles in developing commercially viable fusion reactors is the removal of the excess heat produced during the reaction. If not removed efficiency, the reactor can be damaged, significantly reducing the lifespan of a power plant.
Researchers at the Culham nuclear fusion experiment in Oxofrdshire have developed an exhaust system that will remove excess heat from a reaction. Known as a Super-X divertor. Seven months of testing have shown a tenfold reduction in the heat on materials within the Super-X system.
This solution to the excess heat problem will also allow the construction of more compact reactors. The UK Atomic Energy Authority call this a crucial stepping stone to having a prototype fusion power plant (called STEP) by the 2040’s.
Zap Energy
Seattle based startup, Zap Energy has developed a plasma confinement technology that does not need magnets. A Tokamak is a magnetic based plasma confinement technology.
Zap’s technology uses sheared flows rather than magnetic fields. By driving electric current through the flow creates a magnetic field which confines and compresses the plasma. The higher the current driven through, the greater the pressure and density in the plasma.
Zap believes that their reactor is the least expensive, most compact, most scalable solution with the shortest path to commercial viability. Zap has not committed to a commercialization date (probably wisely).
Tae Technologies
Tae is yet another fusion hopeful. Based in California they have produced a plasma at 50 million C with a compact reactor and they have been able to repeat the process over hundreds of testing cycles. Their next larger scale reactor will operate at over 100 million C.
Tae hopes to have commercialized fusion reactors by the end of the 2020’s.
In July 2020 we featured Commonwealth Fusion Systems from Boston that hope to have their commercial reactor ready by 2025. Time will tell which of these predictions will be accurate however the race is clearly on.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com or comment below.
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Till next week.