Project plan and budget
Outline of the project plan
The Research, development and demonstration plan (the "Project") covers three distinct phases, each with a clear objective and milestone: (1) reproducible fireball generation in free air ignites natural fusion reactions; (2) energy break-even of fireballs suspended in fuel-rich gas mixtures; and (3) continuous operation of commercial reactor prototypes at calorimetric power levels. Precise time windows for successive project phases will not be given beforehand, but planned durations will average 16 months per phase.
Phase 1 - Reproducible fireball generation and natural fusion
Phase 1 will consist of three consecutive test programs. The first will focus on design and testing of non-erosive electrodes for open air reproducible fireball generation. The second program will upscale charge and voltage for electric breakdown in air above a threshold field for non-thermal discharges. The third program will monitor and diagnose radiation and particle emissions for validation of fusion reactions in the fireball. Design and engineering for the reactor vessel and power source to be used in Phase 2 will also start in this phase.
Phase 2 - Energy break-even by increased fuel supply
Phase 2 will construct and test reactor vessels for stable fireball positioning in controlled flow of fuel-rich gas mixtures at atmospheric temperature and pressure. Fireball power, ignition energy and fuel concentration will be monitored for validity of scale rules and their ranges. Operational reactor prototypes will demonstrate energy break-even of suspended fireballs with stable size and brightness for any length of time.
Phase 3 - Continuous operation of commercial prototype reactor
Phase 3 will submerge the reactor vessel in a water mantle, and boost output power of fireballs to calorimetric levels required for market potential as source of primary energy. Ignition of megajoule fireballs in gas mixtures with one hundred times the natural deuterium abundance will match the Convectron reactor with megawatt power levels of large wind turbines. Reactor operation will be fine-tuned for continuous operation. At the end of this phase, the system that is then in operation will be prepared for commercial application.
Budget and financing
The table below provides a summary of the budget for the Project, with details provided per phase. The budget is inclusive of the costs of operating the Company and the costs associated with the Issuer, but exclusive the costs of the issue. The budget has been carefully drawn up by the Management Board, and is considered to be both realistic and conservative. The working capital of the Company will consist of the proceeds from the issue (the working capital at the start of the issue is practically nil). The proceeds from the final issue on complete subscription, and after subtracting 3.75 million euro for covering issue costs, match the budget.
budget item (amounts are in euro) | phase 1 | phase 2 | phase 3 | totals |
personnel (including management) | 800,400 | 1,480,395 | 1,960,135 | 4,240,930 |
laboratory and office space | 100,000 | 175,000 | 175,000 | 450,000 |
rent of short-circuit facility and services | 400,000 | 2,600,000 | 2,600,000 | 5,600,000 |
third party services | 250,000 | 400,000 | 600,000 | 1,250,000 |
test equipment | 500,000 | 1,500,000 | 2,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
functional hardware design | 750,000 | 750,000 | 750,000 | 2,250,000 |
functional hardware construction | 1,000,000 | 2,500,000 | 3,000,000 | 6,500,000 |
software development | 500,000 | 750,000 | 1,000,000 | 2,250,000 |
study of alternative fuel cycles | 115,000 | 185,000 | 255,000 | 555,000 |
patent and legal costs | 200,000 | 500,000 | 700,000 | 1,400,000 |
costs of the Company and the Issuer | 125,000 | 200,000 | 300,000 | 625,000 |
contingencies (%) | 10.0% | 20.0% | 33.334% | 24.5% |
contingencies | 474,040 | 2,208,079 | 4,446,951 | 7,129,070 |
totals | 5,214,440 | 13,248,474 | 17,787,086 | 36,250,000 |
