FuZE-Q

The Fusion Z-pinch Experiment Q (FuZE-Q) is Zap Energy's 2nd generation machine and the 4th generation of SFS Z-pinch machines. FuZE-Q was the first system designed and built fully by Zap Energy. The plasma chamber is similar in scale to its predecessors but incorporates a modular design and the ability to more easily modify components. The machine also allows more advanced gas injection configurations and diagnostics access. FuZE-Q was commissioned in 2022 and operates in a two-electrode configuration using pulsed power banks with significantly larger stored energy (1 MJ+) than used for previous SFS Z-pinch machines. The higher level of stored energy opens up new operating regimes, both in terms of peak power delivered and by extending the duration of the plasma pulse to approximately 100 us. As of 2023, FuZE-Q has demonstrated peak plasma currents above 600 kA and D-D neutron yields above 10^10. FuZE-Q has undergone a series of upgrades to its pulsed power driver to access higher operating voltage.