Realta Fusion designs bottle-shaped reactor to crack nuclear power

Realta Fusion, a spin-off from the University of Wisconsin, is hopeful that it will crack the fusion energy puzzle with its innovative bottle-like reactor design. The company recently closed its Series A funding with a $36 million round and hopes to have the technology ready for building a prototype reactor by 2026. 

Nuclear fusion is the holy grail of energy that promises abundant energy without the carbon emissions that plague the use of fossil fuels today. Replicating the process that occurs in the stars to fuse hydrogen into helium has been in the works for decades. It was recently met with success when the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) produced a net energy gain from the reaction. 

Nearly 50 startups are working on commercializing this technology and powering the world using nuclear fusion. Since the evolution of new technology is extremely slow, many companies might not exist when nuclear fusion reactors begin powering our homes. Startups often run out of funds before ideas succeed commercially. 

However, with a $36 million funding round, Realta has secured its immediate future and is now working toward improving its technology to build a prototype reactor. 

Fusion in a bottle

Realta’s journey began three years ago as a university spin-off, betting on a fusion technology largely debated in the sector – magnetic mirrors. 

In this approach, plasma –  a superheated mixture of ions and free electrons in a gas-like state-  is confined in a symmetrical bottle-shaped reactor. Extremely powerful magnets at each end push the plasma toward the center of the reactor. Relatively weaker magnets hold the plasma in place for the fusion reaction to occur and release large amounts of energy. 

To retain the plasma in its superheated state, a longer mid-section is required, which can be made relatively cheaply since it needs less powerful magnets. 

The company aims to create fusion energy at rates of $100 per megawatt initially and then head toward the $40 mark, TechCrunch reported. This would put it on par with the pricing of natural gas plants, without the emissions. 

Going against the tide

While the team at Realta is working on improving the efficiency of its approach to make energy more cost-effective, the team also scored big with its recent round of funding. 

At a time when fusion companies are having difficulties showing significant progress and raising more money to fund their efforts, Realta’s $36 million round backed by Future Ventures, Avila VC, GSBackers, Khosla Ventures, TitletownTech, and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, among others, showcases investor trust. 

Since their seed round, two years ago, the company has not just put its magnets in place but also set a record for magnetic confinement of plasma, the Tech Crunch report added. 

In another couple of years, the startup hopes to have its prototype reactor design ready, which it has dubbed Anvil, and use the Series B funding to construct it. With demand for data centers picking up in the region, Realta is hopeful that its clean energy technology will power the data centers of the future in the days to come.