A university student has joined the quest to crack the fusion code, a goal that has seen major labs and wealthy billionaires invest billions of dollars. Hudhayfa Nazoordeen, a math major at the University of Waterloo, assembled a reactor in his bedroom in just four weeks, using off-the-shelf parts he ordered online.
Nazoordeen created a mini fusor that resembles a tokamak and hooked it up to a humble 12kV neon sign transformer for power. The result was a setup that could successfully produce plasma, where the fusion magic happens.
The project required patience and perseverance. Week one involved sourcing and figuring out the necessary components. Week two involved assembling the main chamber and rectifier circuit. By week three, the setup was complete, and Nazoordeen began integrating the neon transformer.
The most challenging part of the project was cracking the vacuum system, which required sealing multiple tiny leaks to achieve a vacuum of extremely low pressure. Nazoordeen used an MKS-901p transducer to monitor and control the vacuum continuously.
Nazoordeen received help from other engineers on campus and utilized Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 AI chatbot, which played a significant role in the development of the reactor. He also drew inspiration from Olivia Li, an engineer who last year constructed her own fusion reactor in a New York City apartment.
Although the homemade fusor did not achieve fusion, Nazoordeen plans to further develop the project and is waiting for funding for the “full fusor.” His work is a testament to the potential for innovation and experimentation in the pursuit of groundbreaking scientific achievements.
An incredible achievement by Hudhayfa Nazoordeen, a university math major, has set the bar for innovation in fusion energy. Nazoordeen successfully built a mini fusion reactor, also known as a fusor, in his bedroom using off-the-shelf parts and with no prior hardware experience.
To create the reactor, Nazoordeen spent four weeks sourcing and assembling the necessary components. The most challenging part was achieving the vacuum environment necessary for fusion. This required sealing multiple tiny leaks and hunting down the MKS-901p transducer to monitor and control the vacuum.
Nazoordeen credits Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 AI chatbot and engineers on campus for helping him overcome the obstacles. He fed the chatbot his datasheets, which provided invaluable assistance in the reactor’s development.