Maritime Fusion Launches: Fusion Reactors For Ships

Maritime Fusion recently launched!

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^{"The application where first generation fusion reactors can thrive"}

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tl;dr They are building the first fusion reactors for marine applications:}

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Founded Justin Cohen & Jason Kaufmann

The team brings over a decade of industry and research experience in plasma physics, nuclear engineering, and electrical engineering with backgrounds at SpaceX, Tesla, Columbia University, and University of Pennsylvania. They first met at SpaceX while conducting radiation tests for Starship electronics, and later worked together at Tesla on Cybertruck and Optimus.

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The Problem

Breakeven fusion is on the horizon, but first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors will be expensive, high-maintenance, and have low capacity factors, leading to 5–10x higher electricity cost on the grid. Additionally, these reactors face significant physics challenges for steady-state operation, such as managing first wall heat flux and mitigating nuclear activation of structural components that require novel materials to solve.

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The Solution

Maritime Fusion is leveraging the most proven approach to fusion energy, the HTS tokamak, but designed specifically for maritime applications. This reactor bridges the gap between achieving breakeven fusion and commercial viability. Their target market, commercial shipping vessels, require 15x less power and lower uptime compared to traditional grid reactors all while matching the cost of alternative bunker fuels—without any emissions. Operating at reduced power densities also alleviates many of the materials hurdles, paving the way for a more robust and reliable technology in the near term. They are also leveraging the same reactor to meet the Department of Defense’s need for mobile power plants via Ship-to-Shore power.

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Learn More

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^{🌐 Visit maritimefusion.com to learn more.}

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^{🙏 They are in process of making inroads to the Department of Defense, Navy, DARPA, and Department of Energy, as well as connections to the commercial shipping industry, if you know anyone they should speak with please reach out here! ‍‍}

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^{‍‍👣 Follow Maritime Fusion on LinkedIn & X.}