MICRO FUSION

ELABORATION

Micro Fusion is a micro-nuclear process that produces heat without producing greenhouse gas or fine particulate matter. The heat is output via an isolation heat exchanger that is fed by a heat transfer fluid that operates in the bulk fluid temperature range 190 to 260 degrees C. This heat can be used for: water heating, space heating, steam generation, absorption cooling or biofuel production.

The principal advantages of Micro Fusion are:
1. Ability to displace heat derived from oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels in many stationary applications;
2. No greenhouse gas emissions;
3. No fine particulate matter emissions;
4. Modular construction for easy transport;
5. Each Micro Fusion unit has an electrical input of about 30 kWe and a useful thermal output of about 250 kWt;
6. Any number of Micro Fusion Units can be connected in parallel to increase the total heat output;
7. The Micro Fusion process does not involve fissionable materials;
8. The Micro Fusion process does not produce long term radioactive waste;
9. The Micro Fusion nuclear process is inherently safe because the significant heat producing reactions stop when the electricity feed to the process is cut off;
10. If the electricity required to drive a Micro Fusion heating system comes from a 50% efficient combined cycle natural gas fueled generator, there is an overall six fold reduction in natural gas consumption and in emissions of carbon dioxide and particulate matter as compared to a conventional natural gas fueled heating system;
11. In principle the thermal output of a Micro Fusion Unit can be harnessed to provide the required electricity input. However, that is not likely to be a practical way to use Micro fusion technology in the forseeable future.

The principal limitations of Micro Fusion are the relatively high weight and high capital cost of the equipment per unit of heat produced. Ongoing development work is focused on mitigating these limitations.

The deciding issue relating to the applicability of Micro Fusion in most practical applications is the cost of heat from alternative sources. In Ontario the end user cost of heating oil in late 2011 is about $1.00 per litre plus 13% HST. This cost is barely sufficient to make Micro Fusion price competitive with heating oil in base load heating applictions.

At present most heat used in stationary applications in major urban markets is obtained from natural gas. The cost of natural gas is much less than the cost of heating oil. However, natural gas is not available at many rural locations. Furthermore, the demand for natural gas and hence its price will likely increase as natural gas is increasingly used to displace coal for electricity generation in the USA and elsewhere.

Electricity utilities view natural gas combustion turbines as a proven means of balancing the output of wind turbines. This balancing method is presently used to delay or avoid facing the capital cost of constructing energy storage for load following. It is anticipated that in the near future natural gas generation in combination with wind turbines will be used to replace existing coal fuelled electricity generation. Natural gas can now be shipped across oceans via Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) tanker ships. The increased world wide demand for natural gas for electricity generation will eventually cause the price of natural gas to approach the world price of oil.

Technical details relating to the Micro Fusion process and the detailed design of Micro Fusion equipment are presently proprietary. However, approximate overall Micro Fusion System performance data is available on this web site.

This web page last updated December 1, 2011