Zap Energy unveiled its newest fusion machine on Tuesday during a research conference in Long Beach, California, marking the latest addition to its lineup of devices as it strives to commercialize fusion energy.
The company is competing with a number of other startups, all aiming to develop fusion power plants that could supply electricity to the grid by the early 2030s.
Zap’s Fuze-3 machine has been generating plasma pulses at its Seattle-area headquarters, and the findings from these tests will shape the blueprint for the company’s upcoming demonstration reactors.
The Fuze-3 system managed to compress a plasma—a hot mix of charged particles—to pressures exceeding 232,000 psi (1.6 gigapascals) and temperatures above 21 million degrees Fahrenheit (11.7 million degrees Celsius).
A slow-motion view of plasma burning inside the Fuze-3 device.
Image Credits:Zap Energy
This pressure achievement sets a new benchmark for the fusion method Zap is developing, called a sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch. The reactor operates by channeling electricity through plasma using electrodes, which in turn generates a magnetic field. When this field becomes strong enough, it both heats and compresses the plasma, allowing the particles to fuse together.
These results are significant for Zap as it works toward making fusion energy commercially viable. However, it’s important to recognize that these numbers can’t be directly compared to those from other fusion startups, since each company employs its own unique technology.
Reaching high plasma pressures is essential for any future fusion energy facility. To produce more energy than is consumed, fusion reactions must achieve what’s known as the triple product—a combination of plasma temperature, pressure, and confinement time. In essence, if the plasma is kept hot and dense for a sufficient period, it can generate usable power.
According to Zap’s estimates, the company still needs to boost its plasma pressure by at least a factor of ten to reach scientific breakeven—a milestone that only one other fusion experiment has achieved. Zap also noted it is nearing a third major milestone outlined by Bob Mumgaard, co-founder and CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, one of its competitors.
Zap surpassed the previous plasma pressure record by modifying its reactor to include a third electrode. Earlier versions used two electrodes, which could heat the plasma but didn’t achieve the desired pressure levels.
When asked by TechCrunch, the company declined to share specifics about the new design. However, spokesperson Andy Freeborn explained that the update enables the use of two power banks, providing greater control over plasma behavior inside the reactor.
“The plasma chamber itself appears mostly unchanged, but its operation is quite different now since it uses two separate pulses of input power instead of just one,” he explained.
Zap also announced that it is developing the next generation of its Fuze device, which is expected to be operational this winter.
