Lockheed Martin: The birth of a small nuclear fusion reactor that can be installed in a truck within 10 years

July 03, 2019

Lockheed Martin announced on October 15 that it had achieved a technological breakthrough in the development of a nuclear fusion-based energy source. The first small reactor that can be installed at the back end of a truck is expected to be born within a decade.

The project leader Tom McGuire said that he and his team have been secretly specializing in fusion energy technology for four years. Now they are openly looking for potential partners in the industry or government fields. Many technologies related to the project can be patented.


McGuire said initial R&D work showed that building a 100-megawatt, 7×10-foot reactor would be technically feasible and could be installed at the back end of a large truck. The specifications of the new reactor can be reduced by a factor of 10 compared to the current reactor.

In recent years, Lockheed Martin has been developing many new energy projects, including marine energy, as the top supplier to the U.S. military to ease the impact of the decline in military spending in Europe and the United States.

McGuire revealed to the media that Lockheed Martin's fusion energy project will help develop new energy sources and ease the increasingly fierce global energy conflict. It is predicted that the energy consumption of the next generation will increase by 40-50%.

Lockheed Martin believes that this project is an integral part of the comprehensive solution to global energy and environmental changes. More compact nuclear fusion reactors can reduce waste emissions, are cleaner than coal-fired power stations, and can also reduce radioactive pollution.

Lockheed Martin said that the design, construction and testing of new reactors can be completed within a year as soon as possible, and actually operating reactors can be built within the next 10 years.

Small reactors can be used to drive U.S. naval warships, reducing the transportation of other fuels. At present, nuclear reactors and aircraft carriers in the United States can install nuclear reactors, but the specifications of the reactors are too large and they need to be replaced on a regular basis.

"Gravity Die Casting. A permanent mould casting process, where the molten metal is poured from a vessle of ladle into the mould, and cavity fills with no force other than gravity, in a similar manner to the production of sand castings, although filling cn be controlled by tilting the die."

Gravity Die Casting

Sometimes referred to as Permanent Mould, GDC is a repeatable casting process used for non-ferrous alloy parts, typically aluminium, Zinc and Copper Base alloys.

The process differs from HPDC in that Gravity- rather than high pressure- is used to fill the mould with the liquid alloy.

GDC is suited to medium to high volumes products and typically parts are of a heavier sections than HPDC, but thinner sections than sand casting.

There are three key stages in the process.

  1. The heated mould [Die or Tool] is coated with a die release agent. The release agent spray also has a secondary function in that it aids cooling of the mould face after the previous part has been removed from the die.
  2. Molten metal is poured into channels in the tool to allow the material to fill all the extremities of the mould cavity. The metal is either hand poured using steel ladles or dosed using mechanical methods. Typically, there is a mould [down sprue" that allows the alloy to enter the mould cavity from the lower part of the die, reducing the formation of turbulence and subsequent porosity and inclusions in the finished part.
  3. Once the part has cooled sufficiently, the die is opened, either manually or utilising mechanical methods.

Advantages

  • Good dimensional accuracy
  • Smoother cast surface finish than sand casting
  • Improved mechanical properties compared to sand casting
  • Thinner walls can be cast compared to sand casting
  • Reverse draft internal pockets and forms can be cast in using preformed sand core inserts
  • Steel pins and inserts can be cast in to the part
  • Faster production times compared to other processes.
  • Once the tolling is proven, the product quality is very repeatable.
  • Outsourced Tooling setup costs can be lower than sand casting.

Gravity Casting Parts

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