Nuclear Fusion

U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday.

Scientists at the California-based lab repeated the fusion ignition breakthrough in an experiment in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on July 30 that produced a higher energy yield than in December, a Lawrence Livermore spokesperson said.
Click to expand...
www.reuters.com

US scientists repeat fusion ignition breakthrough for 2nd time

U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
 
Technically a lie. They achieved a plasma Q over >1, but factoring in the efficiency of the laser net Q is way less than 1.
 
Only because they are using highly inefficient research lasers from the 80's. This is a research lab not an operational plant, and their focus isn't an operational power plant. They did their job showing it works, now its up to someone else to commercialize it.
 
Desertfox said:
Only because they are using highly inefficient research lasers from the 80's. This is a research lab not an operational plant, and their focus isn't an operational power plant. They did their job showing it works, now its up to someone else to commercialize it.
Click to expand...
Maybe. They're getting about 1.55x out (3.15MJ) what they put in (2.05MJ), so it would need a laser that's at least 66% efficient, even after frequency multiplication to 351nm and Q-switching, which is a big ask. Currently, the record is held by diode lasers at 65% with fibre lasers down at ~50% and that doesn't include getting it to the correct wavelength for fusion, or making it into a pulse. So, we're not there yet. I think someone said that they need to get to 6-8MJ out for 2MJ in, then we'll be there.
 
Last edited:
Of course not, this is basically the third 1903 Wright Brothers flight. It'll take a bit to go from there to say 1919 KLM.
 
Fusion news
phys.org

A look inside the sun's fire: New measurements point at slower burn-in phase of hydrogen burning

Nuclear astrophysics studies the evolution of the elements in the universe since its creation. The astrophysical models rely on parameters that scientists deduce from laboratory measurements. Nuclear reactions play a crucial role inside stars. A team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf...
phys.org

Cosmic Rays
https://www.labmanager.com/a-new-lens-into-the-universe-s-most-energetic-particles-31115
 
In the news

Cold plasma X-rays and fusion
phys.org

Physicist explains X-rays that shouldn't exist in 'cold' plasma

For about 20 years, Caltech Professor of Applied Physics Paul Bellan and his group have been creating magnetically accelerated jets of plasma, an electrically conducting gas composed of ions and electrons, in a vacuum chamber big enough to hold a person. (Neon signs and lightning are everyday...
phys.org phys.org
phys.org

Collisions change how fast ions surf on plasma waves in fusion experiments and beyond

Just like there are waves in the ocean, waves can also occur in an electrically charged gas called a plasma, made up of electrons and ions. In the ocean, people surf by riding their boards at nearly the same speed as the waves. This matching condition, called resonance, allows the wave to...
phys.org phys.org

A reactor for the Moon:
www.space.com

Nuclear power on the moon: Rolls-Royce unveils reactor mockup

The company hopes to have a demo device ready for a moon trip in 2029.
www.space.com www.space.com

Seems familiar....
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phPp5oYnps0
 
Last edited:
Building a working fusion reactor is trivial. I'm talking high school science project trivial. You need a good vacuum pump (and bell glass) and the 25kv power supply from a neon sign. You can make the rest in any metal shop. Presto, one Farnsworth Fusor. Now that a friend of mine has a mill, I need to talk to him about making one for myself. Just need to mind the neutrons.

Building a working fusion reactor that produces more power than it takes to cause fusion is a challenge.

Nik said:
Tangential, I'm told there's still on-going research into 'Cold Fusion', usually by other names, and perhaps some-one will figure WTF was actually happening.
Click to expand...
The best explanation I have read is on the "Low Energy Nuclear Reactions" pages. Some weird interactions between hellacious voltages and amperages (250kv and 50,000 amps kinds of numbers), with cosmic ray interactions doing something to catalyze the process. This has been observed and fusion-energy neutrons detected in high altitude thunderstorms, for example, so we know that it does work to a low level.



Dilandu said:
Well, Rosatom actually made research on the hybrid fusion-fission reactor (which would use Tokamak-type device to produce fusion plasma, that would bombard the thorium fuel with neutrons - thus "burning out" the Th-232 and resulting U-233 by intence neutron radiation. Boosted-fission reactor, sort of. Currently it's still a theory, but, well, Rosatom is a world leader in advanced reactors. They are the guys who are most likely to figure it out.
Click to expand...
If a Russian math/physics nerd tells me he's figured out something, I will put money that he is correct.



Forest Green said:
OMG. I despair. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
One problem, he said, was wrong sizes for the joints of blocks to be welded together for the installation’s 19 metres by 11 metres (62ft by 36ft) chamber.

The second was traces of corrosion in a thermal shield designed to protect the outside world from the enormous heat created during nuclear fusion.

Fixing the problems “is not a question of weeks, but months, even years”, Barabaschi said.
Click to expand...
1) How the hell did those joint sizes get past blueprint review, let alone production?

2) Let me guess, construction was suspended pending funds for a while, so the thermal shield was left exposed to the elements?
 

Scott Kenny said:
weird interactions between hellacious voltages and amperages (250kv and 50,000 amps kinds of numbers), with cosmic ray interactions doing something to catalyze the process. This has been observed
Click to expand...
Just today phys.org has the article:
"New plasma instability sheds light on the nature of cosmic rays."

With accelerators smaller...could you line a tokamak with them for modification of plasma?

Part of me thinks an energy generating reactor needs a little of everything... lasers hitting a palladium target inside a....

Now iron can indeed be fused...even if poorly...but for constant fusion.. maybe an iron cigar type wrapping---very thin mind you---filled with more easily fused materials can be a sacrificial fuel rod inserted into a reactor like coal in a furnace...Tsander autophagy style.
 
Last edited:
Dilandu said:
I was talking about hybrid fission-fusion thorium reactor research:

Click to expand...

Tokamak and MSR hybrids, that's the way to go.

Molten Salt Reactor has a tritium waste issue - and need fast neutrons to turn (a) U238 into U235 b) U238 into Pu239 and c) Thorium 232 into Uranium 233. Can also be fed with dismantled A-bomb cores and nuclear waste.

And now, the good news: Tokamak could help. Not only would it provide the said fast neutrons BUT it would also thrive on that pesky tritium. It LOVES tritium for breakfast and dinner.

Bottom line: MSR helps salvaging the billions sunk into Tokamak since 60 years or more. Fusion fission alliance (should we could that fuission ?)


The Russians once had one damn good idea: they wanted to turn their T-15 tokamak into such hybrid.
 
New material for fusion
phys.org

Newly developed material gulps down hydrogen, spits it out, protects fusion reactor walls

University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have used a spray coating technology to produce a new workhorse material that can withstand the harsh conditions inside a fusion reactor.
phys.org phys.org

New way to charge batteries
phys.org

New way to charge batteries harnesses the power of 'indefinite causal order'

Batteries that exploit quantum phenomena to gain, distribute and store power promise to surpass the abilities and usefulness of conventional chemical batteries in certain low-power applications. For the first time, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, take advantage of an...
phys.org phys.org

Coding
phys.org

New code developed for tokamak plasma rotation and transport analysis

A team led by Prof. Lyu Bo and Dr. Bae Cheonho from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new code to analyze the multi-fluid plasma rotation and transport properties in tokamak plasmas, including the Experimental Advanced Superconducting...
phys.org phys.org
 
Last edited:
The latest
phys.org

Scientists create effective 'spark plug' for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion experiments

Scientists from the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) led experiments to demonstrate an effective "spark plug" for direct-drive methods of inertial confinement fusion (ICF). In two studies published in Nature Physics, the authors discuss their results and outline...
phys.org phys.org
phys.org

Fusion research facility's final tritium experiments yield new energy record

The Joint European Torus (JET), one of the world's largest and most powerful fusion machines, has demonstrated the ability to reliably generate fusion energy, while simultaneously setting a world record in energy output.
phys.org phys.org
phys.org

NIF fusion breakeven claims peer reviewed and verified by multiple teams

Five independent teams of researchers have reviewed the work and claims made by a group at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) who announced in December 2022 that they had achieved the first laser-powered fusion reaction that exceeded "scientific breakeven"—in which more energy was produced by...
phys.org phys.org

Radiation and water
phys.org

Scientists uncover a new model for the effects of radiation in water systems

What happens when radiation hits water? This is a question that has an impact every time you get an X-ray at the doctor's office, given you are mostly made of water. A team of theoretical physicists at DESY has worked on data taken by colleagues from Argonne National Laboratory in the US at the...
phys.org phys.org
 
Flyaway said:
Helicity Space raises $5 million for fusion engine development

spacenews.com

Helicity Space raises $5 million for fusion engine development

Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, has raised $5 million in a seed funding round.
spacenews.com spacenews.com
Click to expand...

spacenews.com

Lockheed Martin Ventures invests in Helicity Space

Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, announced an investment April 2 from Lockheed Martin Ventures.
spacenews.com spacenews.com

Report includes a status of work.
 
Lockheed Martin Ventures invests in Helicity Space
spacenews.com

Lockheed Martin Ventures invests in Helicity Space

Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, announced an investment April 2 from Lockheed Martin Ventures.
spacenews.com spacenews.com

SAN FRANCISCO – Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, announced an investment April 2 from Lockheed Martin Ventures.
Click to expand...
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom