Indian company HYLENR unveiled the world’s first cold fusion technology for clean energy production. As the name suggests, it uses minimal heat to generate energy.
The Hyderabad-based firm plans various applications, such as powering homes and facilitating future space missions.
READ: Sam Altman says nuclear fusion could support future AI
The official HYLENR website says its technology will enhance safety and reduce weight while lowering costs. India was the fourth country to land on the Moon, so cold fusion advancements may help further its interstellar ambitions.
How does India’s cold fusion tech work?
The European Investment Bank defines cold fusion as “the idea that atoms can be fused together without using any significant heat or other type of energy and yet producing a great deal of energy.”
It compares cold fusion to a philosopher’s stone, a fictional object with magical properties. However, India seems to have realized this concept.
Last July 17, HYLENR CEO Siddhartha Durairajan demonstrated the company’s cold fusion technology. It shows their patented device that injects hydrogen atoms into a small amount of electricity.
This process creates Helium3 or He3, which is an unstable element. Eventually, the device adds more hydrogen so that a single atom can bond with He3 to produce the stable Helium4 or He4.
“Hydrogen cold fusion is taking place here, two hydrogen atoms come and generate fusion” explained Durairajan.
“That creates Helium3, which is still unstable, and then another hydrogen atom fuses and this creates Helium4, which is stable. The release of this excess hydrogen is creating this heat,” he added.
Hyderabad Low Energy Nuclear Reactors may have domestic and industrial applications. However, HYLENR focuses on the space race.
The company wants to replace Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (MMRTGs) as a spacecraft energy source.
HYLENR believes it has significant advantages, such as being less volatile than MMRTG’s radioactive materials. Also, it is lighter compared to these conventional machines, which reduces weight, energy consumption, and ultimately, fuel costs.