U.S. Fusion Company Advances Deuterium-Helium-3 Fusion Testing

American Fusion Inc. on August 27 announced progress in ongoing testing of the Texatron Fusion Engine and released computational and experimental observations regarding the device's ability to achieve deuterium-helium-3 (D-³He) fusion conditions. The company stated that the test program is evaluating two Texatron configurations at approximately 500 kilowatts and 5 megawatts, with the core technical approach being proprietary pulsed magnetic compression.

Texatron's R&D focus is on utilizing short-duration, high-intensity electromagnetic pulses to compress and heat plasma in extremely short timeframes, simultaneously creating the conditions required for fusion, including high temperature, high pressure, high density, and a certain confinement time. American Fusion Inc. stated that its team has conducted repeatable magnetic confinement tests and achieved peak confinement pressures of approximately 100,000 atmospheres. The company's next step is to continue characterizing the temperature, density, and confinement conditions required to achieve deuterium-helium-3 fusion ignition and ultimately net energy gain.

American Fusion Inc. Chief Technology Officer John E. Brandenburg stated that achieving repeatable high-pressure pulsed plasma conditions is a critical milestone in the Texatron development pathway. The company's current focus is on continuing to improve temperature, density, and confinement characteristics, while measuring and validating each pulse process. He also emphasized that fusion depends on the overall state of the plasma, not on a single measured parameter.

The deuterium-helium-3 fusion being studied by American Fusion Inc. refers to the process in which deuterium nuclei and helium-3 nuclei undergo fusion, producing high-energy charged particles. Unlike conventional steady-state magnetic confinement approaches, Texatron employs a pulsed magnetic compression architecture, with the goal of forming the required fusion conditions during each pulse. The company evaluated two geometries in this assessment: the approximately 500-kilowatt development model uses an 11-inch chamber with a plasma column approximately 25.4 millimeters in diameter; the approximately 5-megawatt development model uses a 23-inch chamber with a plasma column approximately 50.8 millimeters in diameter. In the associated calculations, plasma length was approximated as the corresponding chamber circumference, and peak confinement time was modeled at 1 microsecond.

The target plasma temperature set for this analysis was approximately 60 keV, equivalent to roughly 700 million kelvin. American Fusion Inc. stated that its calculations combined this target temperature, a peak plasma pressure of approximately 100,000 atmospheres, and a peak confinement time of 1 microsecond. However, the company also noted that reaching approximately 700 million kelvin or achieving 100,000 atmospheres alone does not demonstrate deuterium-helium-3 fusion ignition. True ignition requires temperature, plasma density, and energy confinement time to collectively meet the requirements, while overcoming energy losses such as radiation and transport.

According to the company's calculations, the plasma volume of the 11-inch configuration is approximately 445 cubic centimeters, while the 23-inch configuration is approximately 3,720 cubic centimeters, with the latter being roughly 8.36 times larger than the former. Under the same assumptions, the 500-kilowatt configuration corresponds to a total D+³He fuel ion inventory of approximately 1.88×10²⁰, with an estimated 1.3×10¹⁵ deuterium-helium-3 reactions per pulse, yielding a calculated total fusion energy of approximately 3.9 kilojoules; the 5-megawatt configuration corresponds to a total fuel ion inventory of approximately 1.57×10²¹, with an estimated 1.1×10¹⁶ reactions per pulse, yielding a calculated total fusion energy of approximately 32.6 kilojoules.

American Fusion Inc. specifically noted that the aforementioned reaction counts, energies, and instantaneous power figures are calculated based on device dimensions, geometry, and assumed plasma conditions. They do not represent actually measured fusion output, net energy gain, or continuous electrical output, and should not be interpreted as having achieved fusion ignition. The company believes that the potential advantage of the larger Texatron configuration lies in providing more reactive plasma volume under the same plasma conditions, but device size alone does not trigger fusion; the key remains the fusion triple product of density, temperature, and confinement time.

At a plasma pressure of approximately 100,000 atmospheres, simplified magnetic pressure calculations correspond to a magnetic field of approximately 160 tesla at a plasma β value of 1. American Fusion Inc. stated that this result does not imply that Texatron requires a 160-tesla external magnet in the conventional sense. Texatron is a pulsed electromagnetic plasma system, and its actual operational requirements will depend on engineering parameters such as magnetic field geometry, plasma current, magnetic field amplification factor, compression ratio, and pulse characteristics.

The company also stated that its new temporary assembly and R&D space is under construction, and a new portable vacuum chamber arrived at the new facility on August 26, 2026, to support subsequent Texatron experiments. American Fusion Inc. Executive Chairman Brent Nelson stated that the company recognizes there is still substantial scientific and engineering work remaining before achieving ignition or net energy gain, but the current phase of the test program is progressing steadily.

In the next phase of analysis, American Fusion Inc. will focus on establishing more precise deuterium-helium-3 ignition targets rather than relying on a single pressure or temperature metric. The company plans to evaluate the pressure and plasma density required to achieve confinement times of approximately 1 microsecond and longer across a temperature range of approximately 50 to 200 keV, incorporating deuterium-helium-3 fusion products, bremsstrahlung radiation, and other major plasma energy losses into the analysis. The company's long-term goal is to develop Texatron into a scalable, carbon-free fusion energy platform.