A nuclear fusion breakthrough

This popped up on CNN today - sounds pretty hopeful!

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/09/uk/nuclear-fusion-climate-energy-scn-intl/index.html

It would be interesting if Bezos and Musk wanted to beat each other into developing this technology. 


I just finished reading the three-part sci-fi series of "The Three Body Problem" by Cixin Liu.  Really good sci-fi written by a Chinese engineer ten years ago.  All the space ships and earth technologies are powered by fusion energy which is the commonplace form of energy.  


Exciting technology and good news too. If we ever get around to electrifying all our vehicles we'll have need of much additional environmental friendly generating capacity.

I read "Three Body" series. Loved it. I think I will reread it.

I now see there is a fourth book in the series by a different author. 


I want to be excited about this, but after decades of fusion research, a 5 second burn is not doing it for me.


drummerboy said:

I want to be excited about this, but after decades of fusion research, a 5 second burn is not doing it for me.

Yes, not sure if it was in the article I posted or another one, but it said that scientists have had the hope of nuclear fusion since 1950 and they always thought they were 20 years away.


5 seconds was double the previous record - from 1997.  So we improved 2.5 seconds in 25 years?  grin


It's intriguing but a long way off I think.


Look at molten salt reactor technology.  It's much closer to reality.  It is a very safe technology, and potentially can convert 97% of the fuel to power, as opposed to the 3% that today's reactors convert. We have surrendered the lead in this to China, but Thorcon industries has some good work going.


RobertRoe said:

I just finished reading the three-part sci-fi series of "The Three Body Problem" by Cixin Liu.  Really good sci-fi written by a Chinese engineer ten years ago.  All the space ships and earth technologies are powered by fusion energy which is the commonplace form of energy.  

Great book. It's part of a trilogy.  Apparently Netflix is adapting it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Past


When reading about the sophons and the many dimensions, I could not in any way really understand this concept.   I can somewhat understand that time is the fourth dimension, but more than that is beyond my understanding or intuition.  I do understand a little that as speed increases toward the speed of light that time slows down.  Understanding Newtonian physics was okay.  But, my physics career and math career came to a screeching halt when these more than four-dimensional ideas were presented.   So, I guess I am a three-dimensional man in a multi-dimensional universe.  


jamie said:

drummerboy said:

I want to be excited about this, but after decades of fusion research, a 5 second burn is not doing it for me.

Yes, not sure if it was in the article I posted or another one, but it said that scientists have had the hope of nuclear fusion since 1950 and they always thought they were 20 years away.

I keep thinking that we have a perfectly usable nuclear fusion reactor already operating and available. Improving solar panels and battery storage seems a better way to make use of it - especially given the urgent need for non-fossil fuel energy.


nohero said:

I keep thinking that we have a perfectly usable nuclear fusion reactor already operating and available. Improving solar panels and battery storage seems a better way to make use of it - especially given the urgent need for non-fossil fuel energy.

Yes but if it breaks who’s going to go fix it?



mrincredible said:

nohero said:

I keep thinking that we have a perfectly usable nuclear fusion reactor already operating and available. Improving solar panels and battery storage seems a better way to make use of it - especially given the urgent need for non-fossil fuel energy.

Yes but if it breaks who’s going to go fix it?


mrincredible said:

nohero said:

I keep thinking that we have a perfectly usable nuclear fusion reactor already operating and available. Improving solar panels and battery storage seems a better way to make use of it - especially given the urgent need for non-fossil fuel energy.

Yes but if it breaks who’s going to go fix it?

We can send a shuttle, at night.



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