Arc reactor

*See Plasma arc waste disposal reactor for real-world technology by similar name.

The arc reactor is a fictional power generation technology developed by Stark Industries, a weapons manufacturer controlled by Tony Stark. While initially large, costly, and ultimately unviable, Stark successfully miniaturizes the technology and ushers in a potential power generation renaissance.

The initial arc reactor was developed, constructed, and used to power Stark Industries' manufacturing campus. However, additional research and development was not pursued as many engineers at the company found the technology unviable due to cost and size restrictions.

During Tony Stark's captivity by the terrorist group The Ten Rings, Stark and Yinsen build a miniature arc reactor to power an electromagnet "pacemaker", which protects Stark's heart from the embedded shrapnel in his chest. To facilitate escape, Stark and Yinsen build the first version of theIron Man suit and power it with the miniature arc reactor.

After successfully escaping and returning home, Stark develops a more powerful and reliable arc reactor during his sabbatical from public life. The second generation arc reactor successfully powers Stark's more energy intensive second and third generation Iron Man suit.

The Arc reactor itself it supposed to be a Perpetual Energy Device, which is able to power up almost anything. In the movie Iron Man its established this ARC Reactor would generate 3 Giga Joules Per Second, as in its miniature form (Mark One) while its bigger version(Mark Two) would generate 4 times that quantity. Also Stark industries hold a much bigger Arc Generator, powering up the plant, considering Stark Industries to be a Technologically Advanced Weapon Factory, the power from the original ARC Reactor would increase at 500 times the one from the (Mark One) miniature version.

3 giga joules per second equates to 3 gigawatts of power or approximately 4 million horsepower. This is more than is produced in the worlds largest nuclear reactor and is more than 15 times greater than the power of a Nimitz-class supercarrier. If this were not amazing enough, it is the size of a grapefruit and does not appear to consume fuel of any sort.

It is not explained in the movie how the 4 million horsepower of the small unit is insufficient for powered flight. A fully loaded Nimitz class supercarrier weighs about 101,000 tons or 91,625,658kg. Overcoming the downward acceleration due to gravity would require approximately 897,931,448 watts of power, assuming it was converted directly into force. The initial prototype Tony Stark produced from scraps in a cave produces three times this amount and would have 2gW of power in reserve to maneuver and accelerate the aircraft carrier in any direction.