Fusion-Heated Supercritical CO2 Power Blocks for AI Data Centers A 50 MW Prime Power Reference Architecture with Integrated Cooling Cascade

Fusion-Heated Supercritical CO2 Power Blocks for AI Data Centers A 50 MW Prime Power Reference Architecture with Integrated Cooling Cascade

Laser fusion can supply extremely high-grade thermal energy, but converting that energy into reliable, efficient prime power for AI data centers requires a power block that is compact, controllable, and modular. This article presents a concrete 50 MW reference architecture using a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle at 25 MPa, paired with a bottoming cooling cascade that maximizes total site efficiency while delivering both electricity and cooling from the same thermal source.

Why supercritical CO2 is the right interface for fusion heat

Laser-driven fusion systems can deliver heat at temperatures far beyond what any turbine or heat exchanger can tolerate. The practical engineering solution is therefore to down-temper fusion heat through a blanket and primary heat exchanger into a controlled supercritical CO2 loop.

Supercritical CO2 power blocks are uniquely suited for this role because they offer:

• High power density and compact turbomachinery.

• High efficiency in recuperated Brayton configurations.

• Low water consumption with dry cooling compatibility.

• Modular scalability for N plus one data center reliability.

For data centers, availability and controllability matter more than absolute peak thermodynamic efficiency. The supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle provides the best balance of these attributes for fusion-based prime power.

50 MW Reference Architecture Overview

Net electrical output

• 50 MW

• Maximum CO2 pressure

• 25 MPa

• Turbine inlet temperature target 700 to 800 degrees C class

Architecture philosophy

Instead of one large turbine, the system uses modular blocks for redundancy and manufacturability.

• Ten identical power blocks rated at 5 MW each.

• Nine blocks operate continuously for 45 MW.

• One block remains in hot standby for N plus one redundancy.

This allows continuous maintenance without loss of data center power availability.

Fusion Thermal Interface

• Fusion core output is absorbed in a blanket system.

• Blanket outlet thermal fluid temperature is controlled and stabilized.

• Heat is transferred to the CO2 loop through a high temperature primary heat exchanger.

The CO2 loop never sees radiation exposure and operates as a conventional industrial closed loop power system.

Supercritical CO2 Power Block Configuration

• Each 5 MW module uses a recuperated Brayton cycle with recompression.

Nominal CO2 pressure range

• 25 MPa at turbine inlet

• 8 to 9 MPa at turbine outlet

Cycle elements per module

• Primary heater heat exchanger

• High pressure turbine

• Low temperature recuperator

• High temperature recuperator

• Main compressor

• Recompression compressor

• Gas cooler

• Generator

Each module operates independently with common thermal supply headers and electrical bus connection.

Electrical Performance

Per 5 MW module

• Thermal input approximately 11.5 MW thermal

• Electrical output 5 MW electric

• Module efficiency approximately 43 percent

For the full plant

• Thermal input approximately 115 MW thermal

• Electrical output 50 MW electric

This efficiency level is conservative and compatible with long-life materials and high availability operation.

Heat Rejection and Cascade Opportunity

After power generation, approximately 65 MW thermal remains available in the CO2 exhaust and gas cooler streams.

Instead of rejecting this heat directly to ambient, it is cascaded into a cooling production system for the data center.

Bottoming Cooling Cycle Selection

Two candidate options are considered:

• Absorption cooling

• Ejector cooling

Absorption cooling characteristics

• Typical coefficient of performance approximately 0.7 to 1.2 depending on working pair and temperature.

• Stable operation over wide load ranges.

• Commercially mature technology.

• High reliability and predictable maintenance.

Ejector cooling characteristics

• Typical coefficient of performance approximately 0.25 to 0.6.

• Simple hardware.

• Highly sensitive to operating point.

• Lower overall cooling yield per unit of heat.

Selected solution

For a fusion and sCO2 prime power system, absorption cooling is the most efficient and controllable bottoming solution.

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Cooling Cascade Reference Design

Available thermal for cooling approximately 65 MW thermal.

Assume absorption cooling coefficient of performance of 1.0 for conservative design.

Cooling output approximately 65 MW cooling.

Conversion reference

1 MW cooling equals approximately 284 tons of refrigeration.

Therefore

65 MW cooling equals approximately 18,460 tons of refrigeration.

This cooling capacity can support approximately 65 to 80 MW of IT load depending on data center cooling architecture and approach temperature.

Full Energy Utilization Summary

Fusion thermal input

• 115 MW thermal

Electrical output

• 50 MW electric

Cooling output

• 65 MW cooling equivalent

Effective site utilization of thermal energy approaches full conversion into useful work products.

Data Center Integration Strategy

• The data center is connected to a DC bus fed by grid forming inverters from each CO2 module.

• Short duration battery or supercapacitor storage provides millisecond to minute buffering.

• The thermal system runs in steady state while electrical storage handles fast load transients.

• Cooling is delivered directly into liquid cooling distribution units and secondary chilled water loops.

Advantages Over Gas Turbine Prime Power

• No combustion emissions.

• No large water consumption.

• Higher power density.

• Integrated cooling production.

• Better suitability for modular scaling.

• Lower acoustic and vibration footprint.

Reliability and Maintenance Philosophy

• Fusion island is isolated from the CO2 island.

• CO2 modules are hot swappable.

• Cooling modules are redundant and sectionalized.

• Electrical bus is segmented for fault isolation.

This architecture matches data center uptime expectations rather than traditional power plant maintenance assumptions.

Why this architecture is ideal for AI data centers

AI data centers demand electricity and cooling in nearly equal measure. Traditional power plants provide electricity and reject heat. This fusion-heated supercritical CO2 architecture converts heat into electricity first, and then converts the remaining heat into cooling, maximizing total site efficiency and minimizing wasted energy.

The result is a prime power platform that behaves less like a power plant and more like an integrated energy appliance for AI infrastructure.

Closing Perspective

Laser fusion offers extraordinary thermal energy potential, but only when paired with a realistic and controllable conversion system does it become economically valuable. A modular supercritical CO2 Brayton architecture with an absorption cooling cascade represents one of the most practical and scalable paths to turn fusion heat into dependable prime power for the AI era.

Financial Pro Forma 50 MW Fusion Heated Supercritical CO2 Prime Power Plant With Absorption Cooling Cascade for AI Data Centers

Below is a data-center-grade financial pro forma model for the 50 MW Fusion-Heated sCO2 + Absorption Cooling

Financial Pro Forma

50 MW Fusion Heated Supercritical CO2 Prime Power Plant

With Absorption Cooling Cascade for AI Data Centers

System Capacity Summary

Net electrical output

50 MW

Annual operating hours

8,500 hours

Annual electrical generation

425,000 MWh per year

Cooling output

65 MW cooling

Approximately 18,460 tons refrigeration

Capital Cost Assumptions

Fusion thermal island including blanket and heat interface

$150,000,000

sCO2 power blocks 10 modules at 5 MW

$2,500 per kW installed

Total $125,000,000

Absorption cooling plant and distribution

$800 per ton cooling

Total $14,800,000

Electrical power electronics and DC bus

$20,000,000

Balance of plant, installation, buildings, controls

$40,000,000

Total project capital cost

Approximately $350,000,000

Installed cost per kW electric

$7,000 per kW

Operating Cost Assumptions

Fusion fuel and consumables

$5 per MWh

Operations and maintenance labor

$6 per MWh

Maintenance and spares

$7 per MWh

Insurance and compliance

$3 per MWh

Total operating cost

$21 per MWh

Annual operating cost

425,000 MWh times $21 per MWh

$8,925,000 per year

Revenue Model

Electricity Value

Data center avoided grid power value

$120 per MWh

Annual electricity value

425,000 MWh times $120 per MWh

$51,000,000 per year

Cooling Value

Data center cooling typically consumes approximately 0.3 kW to 0.5 kW per kW IT.

Assume avoided chiller power of 20 MW average.

Annual avoided cooling electricity

20 MW times 8,500 hours

170,000 MWh

Cooling electricity value at $120 per MWh

$20,400,000 per year

Total Annual Value

Electricity value

$51,000,000

Cooling value

$20,400,000

Total annual site energy value

$71,400,000 per year

Net Operating Income

Annual value

$71,400,000

Minus operating cost

$8,925,000

Net operating income

$62,475,000 per year

Financial Returns

Simple Payback

$350,000,000 divided by $62,475,000

Approximately 5.6 years

Internal Rate of Return Estimate

Assuming

20 year plant life

Flat revenue

No tax credits

Estimated project IRR

Approximately 15 to 17 percent

With Data Center Power Premium

If electricity value increases to $150 per MWh

Electric revenue becomes

$63,750,000

Cooling value remains

$20,400,000

Total annual value

$84,150,000

Net operating income

$75,225,000

Payback

4.6 years

IRR

Approximately 18 to 21 percent

Sensitivity Summary

Electric price $100 per MWh

Payback approximately 6.7 years

Electric price $150 per MWh

Payback approximately 4.6 years

Cooling COP improvement to 1.2

Cooling value increases to approximately $24,500,000 per year

Investor Positioning

This system behaves economically as:

A power plant

A cooling plant

A reliability asset

A carbon free infrastructure platform

The dual monetization of electricity and cooling is the core financial advantage.

Comparison to Gas Turbine Data Center Power

Gas turbine plus electric chiller requires:

Fuel purchase

Carbon permitting

Water cooling

Chiller electricity penalty

This fusion sCO2 system:

Eliminates fuel volatility

Eliminates combustion emissions

Produces cooling directly

Improves total site energy utilization

Modular Expansion Economics

Each additional 5 MW module adds:

Capital approximately $30,000,000

Annual value approximately $7,140,000

Incremental payback remains under 5.5 years per module

This supports phased data center expansion.

Investor Risk Profile

Primary risks

Fusion thermal system maturity

Heat exchanger lifetime validation

Regulatory classification

Mitigations

Modular redundancy

Thermal buffering

Independent sCO2 islands

Battery ride through

Long Term Strategic Value

Once fusion thermal hardware matures, the sCO2 and cooling architecture becomes a standardized conversion platform.

The data center operator effectively owns a private zero fuel cost power and cooling plant.

Closing Investor Summary

A 50 MW fusion heated supercritical CO2 prime power system with absorption cooling delivers:

Net operating income exceeding $60 million per year

Payback under 6 years

IRR above 15 percent

Cooling and power in one integrated asset

Modular scalability

Data center grade reliability

This architecture is financially competitive even before carbon credits or grid services revenue are added.

Investor Executive Summary

Fusion Heated Supercritical CO2 Prime Power for AI Data Centers

Opportunity

AI data centers face three escalating challenges

Power availability

Cooling capacity

Grid reliability and cost volatility

The market requires a new class of on-site prime power that delivers both electricity and cooling from a single integrated energy platform.

Solution

A modular 50 MW fusion-heated supercritical CO2 Brayton power plant with an absorption cooling cascade.

Fusion provides high grade thermal energy.

Supercritical CO2 converts heat into electricity efficiently and compactly.

Remaining heat is converted directly into data center cooling.

This architecture converts nearly all thermal energy into useful site products.

System Overview

Net electric output

50 MW

Cooling output

65 MW cooling

Approximately 18,460 tons refrigeration

Architecture

Ten modular 5 MW sCO2 power blocks

N plus one redundancy

25 MPa closed loop CO2 system

Absorption cooling bottoming cycle

Designed specifically for AI data center uptime and scalability.

Why This Matters

Traditional power plants reject heat.

Data centers spend large amounts of electricity to remove heat.

This system converts heat into power first, then converts remaining heat into cooling.

The data center becomes an energy recycling machine instead of an energy disposal site.

Economic Performance

Total project capital cost

Approximately 350 million dollars

Annual electrical production

425,000 MWh

Annual electricity value

51 million dollars

Annual cooling value

20.4 million dollars

Total annual site energy value

71.4 million dollars

Annual operating cost

8.9 million dollars

Net operating income

62.5 million dollars per year

Financial Returns

Simple payback

Approximately 5.6 years

Project internal rate of return

15 to 17 percent base case

With power price premium

IRR increases to 18 to 21 percent

Modular expansion preserves returns for each additional 5 MW block.

Strategic Advantages

No combustion emissions

No fuel price volatility

Low water consumption

Integrated cooling production

Modular redundancy

High power density footprint

This is a power plant and cooling plant in one asset.

Competitive Position

Compared to gas turbines plus chillers

Lower operating risk

Higher site energy utilization

Lower carbon exposure

Higher infrastructure efficiency

Compared to grid dependency

Improved reliability

Predictable long term energy cost

On site energy sovereignty

Market Fit

Primary markets

AI data centers

Hyperscale cloud campuses

High performance computing facilities

National security computing sites

Secondary markets

Industrial campuses

Research facilities

Isolated grid regions

Scalability

50 MW blocks can scale to

100 MW campuses

250 MW campuses

Gigawatt class energy hubs

The conversion platform remains identical. Only the number of modules changes.

Risk Management

Key risks

Fusion thermal system maturity

Primary heat exchanger lifetime

Regulatory classification

Mitigation strategy

Thermal isolation between fusion and CO2

Modular redundancy

Independent power blocks

Electrical ride through storage

The sCO2 and cooling architecture remains valuable even as fusion evolves.

Long Term Vision

This architecture creates a standardized thermal to power and cooling conversion platform.

As fusion matures, this system becomes the bridge that makes fusion commercially usable for real infrastructure.

Investor Takeaway

This is not a science project.

It is a commercial energy conversion platform designed for AI infrastructure.

It delivers

High return infrastructure economics

Dual monetization of power and cooling

Modular scalability

Future proof compatibility with fusion

Closing Statement

The fusion heated supercritical CO2 power block with absorption cooling represents a new category of data center infrastructure.

It is not only a power plant.

It is an energy efficiency engine for the AI economy.

Infinity Turbine Sales | Design | Develop | Analysis TEL: 1-608-238-6001 Email: greg@infinityturbine.com

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