Fusion Energy

Fusion Reactor
Fusion energy is the generation of energy by colliding two light atoms. This is the same process that occurs in the Sun and devices that use fusion energy for the purposes of energy generation are called Fusion Reactors. These reactors use helium-3 and hydrogen-2 to fuse, generating massive temperatures and energy. Thus making fuel extremely easy to procure for naval vessels and space vessels. Making them the most available reactor type in larger space vessels, naval vessels and power stations.

Fusion reactions require huge temperatures and/or pressure to force atoms together, and as has restricted the portability of fusion reactors. The first fusion reactors were built in 2093CE, though they were limited to use in fixed locations. By 2150CE, miniaturisation technology decreased the size of reactors to fit in naval vessels.

The first true miniaturised reactors were built in 2201CE, where reactors were first used on the UNE Kilimanjaro, allowing for cheaper and faster transport between Earth and Mars. Within the next 10 years, reactors could be carried on aircraft, thus providing the ability for fixed-wing craft to hover for sustained periods of time, as well as allowing a new class of aircraft, gunships, to exist, not requiring rotors or wings for lift.

Military applications of fusion reactors rapidly evolved in the Martian Cold War. Fusion reactors were successfully integrated into power armour by UNE scientist Elliot Ashby. Mass produced fusion powered armour would begin in 2358CE. The UNE would continue to use miniaturised fusion reactors (MFRs) until the end of the Martian-Terran War, culminating in the XR-03 Fusion Reactor, capable of reprocessing helium and sustaining reactions up to 11x longer than MFRs in use by URM. However, the war would end before mass production of the XR-03 could begin.

Prewar
Prewar use of fusion energy was exclusively focused on large scale energy production to replace fossil fuel powerstations, of which the fuels required were depleting. The first fusion energy reactor in commercial use was the San Bernadino Nuclear Research Site, producing a net positive of 100MWe.

Improvements to the magnetic containment field and use of antimatter as a primer to initiate fusion reactors helped mitigate problems of high energy requirements to start fusion as well maintaining fusion indefinitely. The first Light Fusion Reactor built purposefully for producing energy was built in 2093C, outputting 6,500MWe.

However, fusion reactors were still limited by the fuel required. Whilst dueterium was common on Earth, the other fuel required, tritium, was extremely rare on Earth, same with helium-3. Construction of the first lunar base provided substantial amounts of helium-3.

Miniaturisation of the fusion reactor would not occur until 2150CE, when the Ligero-Reactor was activated for the first time, providing the new Spanish mining ship with sufficient power to begin large scale planetoid mining and moving. Military application would focus around increased firepower, especially the new spinal mounted Large Mass Accelerator (LMA).

Heart-sized fusion reactors would be first built by Astrobeme, enabling the use of the first

Yield
Initially, fusion energy yield was on par with fission energy, with standard fusion energy plants outputting 7,000MWe. Revised fusion energy plants could output up to 21,000MWe.

Further improvements in fusion reactors was the miniaturisation of them, generating up to 3,000 MWe in the A9-FuR naval reactor for the United States Navy, significantly more than the predecessor A8-FiR reactor, which needed refuelling every 15 years and only produced 1,600 MWe.

Pre-war designs for MFRs could output a peak of 125MWe, which is sufficient for most armoured vehicles operating railguns. During the war, UNE MFRs at their peak could produce up to 310MWe, allowing for body mounted railguns and flight enabled power armour.