LPP Fusion conducted preionization tests to improve plasma conditions for fusion shots, adjusting current and timing to achieve symmetrical preionization and reduce impurities, while replacing electrical components to handle higher voltages.
LPP Fusion's research team successfully completed a bake-out of the FF-1 experimental fusion device in March, reducing oxygen levels in the device by about a thousand-fold to improve plasma purity for fusion reactions.
LPP Fusion scientists are preparing FF-1 for a bake-out process to remove oxygen impurities, aiming to find a temperature between 120°C and 130°C that effectively eliminates oxygen without damaging the device's plastic insulators. An initial attempt at 150°C was unsuccessful due to plastic damage.
LPPFusion and the Focus Fusion Society announced new fundraising efforts to support their fusion research, including funding for additional shots with their FF-1 device and the production of explanatory videos, with contributions starting at $75.
In January 2016, cylinders of nearly pure beryllium were delivered to LPPFusion's lab to be machined into electrodes for fusion experiments, with plans to switch from tungsten to beryllium due to its transparency to x-rays and safety considerations.
LPPFusion has received titanium nitride-coated vacuum chamber parts to reduce oxygen and prevent tungsten oxide formation, which aims to increase plasma density and fusion energy production; a new quartz window will also be installed for x-ray measurements, with experiments scheduled before the end of December.
LPPFusion's team is working to eliminate oxygen sources in the vacuum chamber of their Focus Fusion-1 experiment by removing steel surface cracks and applying a titanium nitride coating, with plans to perform a vacuum bake-out at 150°C to reduce oxygen levels.
On November 3, 2015, LPPFusion announced the launch of its sixth stock offering, aiming to raise $2.5 million to fund Phase I research and develop a working prototype of its Focus Fusion generator.
LPPFusion plans to line its vacuum chamber with titanium or a titanium compound to reduce oxidation and impurities during fusion experiments, following tests that showed high oxygen release from stainless steel chambers at high temperatures.
LPPFusion completed its fourth stock offering in late August 2015, raising a total of $2 million since the offering began in June 2011, including additional crowdfunding and special offerings.
The research team removed oxide coatings from tungsten electrodes, which previously hindered achieving low impurity levels necessary for increased fusion yield, and prepared the electrodes for new experiments.
LPP Fusion's CFO Robert Fitzgerald is on an extended medical leave due to illness, with no further details provided; interim financial oversight is being handled by other staff.
LPP Fusion's recent experiments with new tungsten electrodes show a tenfold reduction in plasma impurities, but levels are still insufficient for high fusion yields; further firing and system improvements are planned.
LPPFusion's Focus Fusion-1 device resumed firing on June 16, after 19 months, becoming the first dense plasma focus device over 1 mega-ampere to use monolithic tungsten electrodes and pre-ionization; initial results suggest impurities have decreased with the new design.
LPP Fusion obtained US Department of Commerce permission to import cylindrical beryllium billets needed for their electrodes, which will be used in later stages of their fusion experiments to handle intense x-ray flux.
The Abell Foundation has invested an additional $200,000 in LPPFusion, which is its sole institutional investor, to support the company's experiments aimed at achieving net energy production through plasma impurity reduction.
LPP Fusion's team completed the mechanical repair and reinforcement of the tungsten cathode by applying a fiber-epoxy winding and attaching a steel brace, aiming to improve current flow during experiments.
LPPFusion received a 99.95% pure tungsten cathode for their FF-1 experiment, but tests showed it had a tensile strength much lower than expected, leading to design modifications to ensure it can withstand firing conditions.
LPP Fusion completed and shipped a critical tungsten cathode for its next experiments, which is expected to arrive at their New Jersey laboratory around March 2, 2015, and be installed in the FF-1 plasma focus device.
LPP Fusion announced that it is changing its company name from Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Inc. to LPPFusion, Inc., to better reflect its focus on developing fusion energy and to avoid confusion about its location.
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