TMTG / TAE merger - fusion reactors

In an earlier thread today on this subject I thought TAE needed He-3 for their fusion process. They don’t. The key fuel is boron. I asked grok for a summary of their process:


TAE Technologies (formerly Tri-Alpha Energy) is a U.S.-based company developing commercial nuclear fusion energy using a unique approach focused on aneutronic fusion with proton-boron (p-¹¹B or hydrogen-boron) fuel.
Core Process
Fusion energy involves fusing light atomic nuclei to release massive energy, mirroring the Sun’s power source. TAE’s process uses proton-boron fuel (p + ¹¹B ? 3 a + 8.7 MeV), producing three helium-4 nuclei (alpha particles) and energy without neutrons as primary byproducts. This aneutronic reaction avoids radioactive waste, material activation, and complex thermal cycles needed in neutron-producing fuels like deuterium-tritium (D-T).
Confinement Method: Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC)
TAE employs a beam-driven Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC), a magnetic confinement technique. Plasma forms a self-organized, smoke-ring-like toroid (prolate compact toroid) where internal currents reverse the external magnetic field, enabling strong confinement with fewer external magnets than tokamaks. This linear, cylindrical design is simpler, more compact, cost-effective, and scalable, with high beta (plasma pressure to magnetic pressure ratio) for efficient power density.
Key Steps in the Process
1 Plasma Formation — Neutral beam injection (NBI) from particle accelerators creates and sustains the FRC plasma directly, eliminating complex theta-pinch systems used in earlier machines. This 2025 breakthrough in the “Norm” reactor simplifies design and reduces costs.
2 Heating and Sustainment — High-energy neutral beams inject tangentially, driving current, heating plasma to hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius (p-B¹¹B requires ~1 billion °C, far hotter than D-T’s ~100 million °C), and stabilizing against instabilities.
3 Confinement and Fusion — FRC’s self-confinement holds hot plasma long enough for collisions. Energetic ions from beams boost reaction rates in non-thermal distributions.
4 Energy Extraction — Charged alpha particles enable direct electrostatic conversion to electricity, bypassing inefficient steam turbines for higher efficiency and smaller plants.
Advantages of TAE’s Approach
• Cleanest Fuel ? Abundant (boron plentiful, hydrogen from water), no neutrons, no long-lived waste, no meltdown/proliferation risks.
• Economic/Practical ? Linear geometry eases maintenance; high performance at scale offsets p-B¹¹B’s lower reactivity.
• Progress ? Machines like “Norman” (2017, >70 million °C stable plasma) and “Norm” (2025, NBI-only FRC) demonstrate viability. Next goals include net energy and a prototype plant (e.g., Da Vinci).
TAE’s method promises carbon-free, on-demand baseload power, though p-B¹¹B’s high temperatures pose challenges overcome via innovative FRC and beam tech. The company targets commercial deployment in the 2030s.

i like that that guy is clearly dumbing it down and i still have no idea what he's saying