Lockheed says makes breakthrough on Fusion Energy project

originally posted by: Nicorette

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
a reply to: Nicorette

Imagine if you could fire 500 rounds a minute at mach 5. You could turn a mountain into Swiss cheese pretty quickly.

Yeah.

You can also power the energy grid without pollution, without ripping up more of Appalachia or the Canadian tar sands. You can shut down all the Chernobyls, Fukushimas, the Three Mile Islands -- Fusion is orders of magnitude safer and cleaner than Fission. You could keep stupid nationalist terrorist states North Korea, Saudi Arabia and all their guerrilla puppets off the grid and on the run.

And then you can make sure your tech is a trade secret, and lease it to cities world wide. With only your employees allowed to monitor and fix it. And once all the power generation in the world has switched to your product, you have a monoply on power generation. World domination will be complete.

originally posted by: mortex Sorry to laugh but LOL.

No problem. You are always welcome to start out your argument with an appeal to ridicule. It undercuts everything else you try to say. It establishes right from the start you are uneducated.

Lift the world out of poverty? ..how, is it going to feed 7 billion people, provide billions of jobs and pay packets for everyone, provide housing for everyone, clothes on peoples backs etc?

You are projecting. Nuclear fusion is a tool, how it gets used is up to the political establishment of the time. Given the current structure is quite corrupt, probably nuclear fusion won't be used for those goals. It will be used for military dominance.

Solve numerous energy problems? ..and what makes you think that this technology is going to be economically viable for the majority of the planet, let alone available to every country on the planet?

I don't think you know anything about the technology. You are willfully ignorant. It is not my job on this forum to give you any kind of education. It bothers me not at all that you can't read scientific literature.

Open the way to reasonable space travel? ..lol, is this like the nuclear powered space ships?

Again your only tactic is fake laughter. That is literally the only argument you know how to employ: ridicule. That doesn't speak highly of you.

This post is as funny as the guy who thinks in ten years there will be nuclear fusion powered trucks.

More ridicule.

You guys obviously don't understand just how much oil and gas the world really does have, just how many untapped resources remain. We've got hundreds of years left of the stuff. Not just gas and oil, but of all resources. The worlds biggest multi-mineral mine, Olympic Dam, can be mined continuously for several hundred years. Think about that in the context of things.

So here is the truth. You are deeply invested in fossil fuels and lash out angrily like a child at any prospect that will disrupt your outdated worldview. Even if it is coming from Lockheed Skunk Works. Somehow you, a self-important poster, you know more than major defense corporations. You, blessed with Godlike powers of insight, can assure us all that this NUCLEAR FUSION is just a joke and we should all go back to burning coal, oil and gas.

originally posted by: yorkshirelad
Just had a thought ....this technology would herald a new steam age !!!!

Even in a nuclear power station all that technology simply boils water to turn a steam turbine to generate electricity (although I'm sure some people think differently Star Trek style !!!!)

Now with a portable generator the only tried and tested way of converting "engine heat" to "work at the wheel" is via steam. Sure you could have a steam turbine and generate electricity but that would simply introducing inefficiencies. Why bother "turning" the steam turbine to make electricity to transmit to wheels to turn an electric motor when you could use the rotation of the steam turbine directly!!!!

So it seems an appropriate time to invest in steam engines

....time to go to Swindon or the York Railway Museum and dig out some of those archived plans.

Only a Yorkshire Lad or Lancashire Lad would have come up with that

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: MystikMushroom

Stand too close it'd suck the iron right out of your blood.

You do have a point as all radiation is not fully understood as of present.
Yes it can dwindle the red blood cells, make you lose bone mass and God knows what else.

originally posted by: Cauliflower

The lab worker with the flashlight checking the boiler sight port isn't wearing a watch?
None of them are.

I don't wear watches or my wedding ring at work, and I don't have keys or change in my pocket, and likely for the same reason.

originally posted by: Nicorette

WASHINGTON (Reuters): Lockheed Martin Corp said on Wednesday it had made a technological breakthrough in developing a power source based on nuclear fusion, and the first reactors, small enough to fit on the back of a truck, could be ready for use in a decade.

Tom McGuire, who heads the project, said he and a small team had been working on fusion energy at Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works for about four years, but were now going public to find potential partners in industry and government for their work.

Lockheed says makes breakthrough on Fusion Energy project

If this pans out, this could be HUGE news, a literal game changer for humanity. Nuclear fission is dirty, dangerous and cumbersome. Nuclear fusion could solve our numerous energy problems, lift the world out of poverty, and open the way to reasonable space travel.

This is not some crank with a free energy device. This is coming from Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, reported by multiple credible mainstream media sources.

This Aviation Week exclusive goes into much, much greater technical detail and talks to the scientists.

Hidden away in the secret depths of the Skunk Works, a Lockheed Martin research team has been working quietly on a nuclear energy concept they believe has the potential to meet, if not eventually decrease, the world’s insatiable demand for power.

Thomas McGuire, principal investigator of the Skunk Works nuclear fusion experiment dubbed T4, with the project’s stainless steel containment vessel that is roughly the size of a business-jet engine.

At Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®, we’re making advancements in the development of fusion energy, the ultimate form of renewable power. Our scientists and engineers are looking at the biggest natural fusion reactor for inspiration – the sun. By containing the power of the sun in a small magnetic bottle, we are on the fast track to developing compact fusion reactors to serve the world’s ever-growing energy needs. Watch the video to discover more.


This is the best news I have heard in a long time.

Amazing. And if scalable in the near future, a game changer.

However, just as the energy giants have been fighting non-fossil fuel forms of energy for decades, why would the vested interests that are imbedded with the government want to quickly adopt such tech? It would mean a loss for many of these massive corporations.

a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

Because the military, especially the Navy, wants it in a bad way. They could have a nuclear powered surface fleet finally.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Not to mention the many examples of just how vulnerable our planet is to space based cataclysm. With this kind of power source we can not only equip space based fighter craft with high energy weapons Lockheed is developing, we also have a much stronger footing to start space based mining and colonization efforts before China, India, Russia and Japan can get up there.

If we are heading into another Cold War we might just get giant combat mechs!

In a real world setting the US, and yes big oil, have lots to be concerned about and will be looking for ways to profit from new energy sources.
One small example, from Lockheed, and at least some small hints of where all this talk could be coming from. You gotta figure a project this important is given all access, and lockheed has a lot of resources for this team to utilize.
Forbes

What got missed by much of the initial coverage of this breakthrough is how extensive Lockheed Martin’s portfolio of renewable energy ventures has become. Senior management apparently decided some time ago that clean energy was the most attractive business development opportunity beyond its traditional military markets, so it now has over a dozen separate ventures in progress — often in partnership with other companies. Here is a sampling of what the company is doing energy-wise in addition to its fusion research.

1. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). In partnership with Hong Kong-based Reignwood Group, the company is building the world’s largest OTEC plant off the coast of southern China. Lockheed envisions the 10 megawatt floating facility as the first in a series of plants scaling up to 100 megawatts that exploit the heat difference between ocean depths and the Sun-warmed sea surface to generate electricity; the same technology could potentially be utilized along the U.S. Gulf Coast and lower East Coast.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

Because the military, especially the Navy, wants it in a bad way. They could have a nuclear powered surface fleet finally.

Fair point, but what about scaling for the public. Because remember, the energy companies that hold a lot of influence over our government may have a conflict of interest, that unless they can make the same profit with this as they would with fossil fuels, they may work to suppress or delay the implementation on a larger scale. They've been accused of this with other technologies.

a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

Once the military has it they'll be hard pressed to stop it. It's going to get loose, and just be a matter of who profits from it.

a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

Zaphod is right, its an inevitability at this point. The past few decades have actually managed to change perceptions of the oil industry enough that its becoming a dying organization. We have barely been using gas for 100 years and we've known almost since the beginning that it wasnt enough for our needs. Combine that with the informative power of the internet and the ever reaching grasp of the Corporations and it becomes a neccesity even for them.

There is trillions to be made in Space. High energy is how we get that money back to the banks.

More on point....from what I can tell the biggest obstacle to making this work is utilizing a material that can contain those temperatures.
So do they have the material already and if so, where did it come from? (Alien tech is obvious, be original)
I know ATS can find the answer...

a reply to: ForteanOrg

Here is the research paper on the UW Fusion reactor
Sciencedirect
Phys.org

A high-β spheromak reactor concept has been formulated with an estimated overnight capital cost that is competitive with conventional power sources. This reactor concept utilizes recently discovered imposed-dynamo current drive (IDCD) and a molten salt (FLiBe) blanket system for first wall cooling, neutron moderation and tritium breeding. Currently available materials and ITER-developed cryogenic pumping systems were implemented in this concept from the basis of technological feasibility. A tritium breeding ratio (TBR) of greater than 1.1 has been calculated using a Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP5) neutron transport simulation. High temperature superconducting tapes (YBCO) were used for the equilibrium coil set, substantially reducing the recirculating power fraction when compared to previous spheromak reactor studies. Using zirconium hydride for neutron shielding, a limiting equilibrium coil lifetime of at least thirty full-power years has been achieved. The primary FLiBe loop was coupled to a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle due to attractive economics and high thermal efficiencies. With these advancements, an electrical output of 1000 MW from a thermal output of 2486 MW was achieved, yielding an overall plant efficiency of approximately 40%.

If UW could do this as a result of a class project are we to assume Lockheed couldnt?

So do they have the material already and if so, where did it come from? (Alien tech is obvious, be original)

Unfortunately the *new* information sounds 50 years old, telling the public the plasma containment has been downsized almost as simply as well bladder tank technology is superficial.

If you look a little deeper into the "close encounters of the third kind" allegory there are some answers there.
There is the "outer shell" design from the 1960's in PPT on the web.
Lockheed was working on it back then and the soviets had nuclear wessels back then to.

Although we aren't getting any new technical details, we can learn about some of the old classification methods.
This is an artistic expression as much as it is technical.

"If science, like art, is to perform its mission totally and fully, its achievements must enter not only superficially but with their inner meaning: into the consciousness of people".

Einy

a reply to: Cauliflower

What are you talking about? Didn't I just post new info?

Here is more.
Sciencedirect

As an element in the U.S. Advanced Power Extraction (APEX) program, the solid first wall and blanket design team assessed innovative design configurations with the use of advanced nano-composite ferritic steel (AFS) as the structural material and FLiBe as the tritium breeder and coolant. The goal for the assessment is to search for designs that can have high volumetric power density and surface heat-flux handling capability, with assurance of fuel self-sufficiency, high thermal efficiency and passive safety for a tokamak power reactor. We selected the re-circulating flow configuration as our reference design. Based on the recommended material properties of AFS we found that the reference design can handle a maximum surface heat flux of 1 MW/m2, and a maximum neutron wall loading of 5.4 MW/m2, with a gross thermal efficiency of 47%, while meeting all the tritium breeding, structural design and passive safety requirements. This paper will cover the results of the following areas of assessment: material design properties, FW/blanket design configuration, materials compatibility, components fabrication, neutronics analysis, thermal-hydraulics analysis including MHD effects, structural analysis; molten salt and helium closed cycle power conversion system; and safety and waste disposal of the re-circulating coolant first wall and blanket design.

A result of this program....DOE

Development of computational materials modeling to enable rapid design and simulation of new and novel alloy materials with less repetitive testing. Computational design of materials has the potential to produce major breakthroughs
Development of superalloys and ferritic materials for use in AUSC conditions of 760°C and 350 bar pressure (5,000 pounds per square inch) to reduce costs, improve corrosion and erosion resistance, increase material strength, and reduce wall thickness.
Development of functional materials for energy storage and high-performance materials with mechanical properties that can perform reliably at temperatures well over 1,000ºC.
Development of advanced metallic and ceramic coatings, including nanomaterials, to provide thermal barrier protection for turbine blades, combustor components and tubing.
Validated computational models capable of simulating and predicting performance of materials in various types of transformational power plants, including pressurized oxy-combustion, pressurized gasification, and CO2 cycle plants.

I read an article late last month and was a little confused.... The Rockafeller group bragging about divesting from fossil fuel because of climate change... Interesting timing and another piece of the puzzle falling into place methinks. So much is going on around the world at he moment and there's a huge play happening in my opinion.

www.theguardian.com...

Heirs to Rockefeller oil fortune divest from fossil fuels over climate change

The Guardian, Tuesday 23 September 2014 02.19 AEST

Peter O'Neill, head of the Rockefeller family and great-great-grandson of John D Rockefeller, along with Neva Rockefeller Goodwin (second from the right_, great-granddaughter of of John D. Rockefeller, and Stephen B Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Peter O’Neill, head of the Rockefeller family and great-great-grandson of John D Rockefeller, along with Neva Rockefeller Goodwin (second from the right_, great-granddaughter of of John D. Rockefeller, and Stephen B Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
The heirs to the fabled Rockefeller oil fortune withdrew their funds from fossil fuel investments on Monday, lending a symbolic boost to a $50bn divestment campaign ahead of a United Nations summit on climate change.

The former vice-president, Al Gore, will present the divestment commitments to world leaders, making the case that investments in oil and coal have an uncertain future.

With Monday’s announcement, more than 800 global investors – including foundations such as the Rockefeller Brothers, religious groups, healthcare organisations, cities and universities – have pledged to withdraw a total of $50bn from fossil fuel investments over the next five years.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund controls about $860m in assets, said Beth Dorsey, the chief executive of the Wallace Global Fund and the Divest-Invest movement, which has led the divestment campaign. About 7% are invested in fossil fuels.

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a reply to: Thorneblood

The Lockheed application was developed at a desert facility maybe as early as the 1950's.

Original First Wall

originally posted by: yorkshirelad
Just had a thought ....this technology would herald a new steam age !!!!

Even in a nuclear power station all that technology simply boils water to turn a steam turbine to generate electricity (although I'm sure some people think differently Star Trek style !!!!)

It sounds simple, but in actual application it isn't quite so simple...

Now with a portable generator the only tried and tested way of converting "engine heat" to "work at the wheel" is via steam. Sure you could have a steam turbine and generate electricity but that would simply introducing inefficiencies. Why bother "turning" the steam turbine to make electricity to transmit to wheels to turn an electric motor when you could use the rotation of the steam turbine directly!!!!

So it seems an appropriate time to invest in steam engines

....time to go to Swindon or the York Railway Museum and dig out some of those archived plans.

Steam turbines are most efficient at high RPMs, so in order to transmit that high RPM power to the wheels you need a big reduction gear to bring it down to usable speeds which will introduce inefficiencies as well - then there's throttle control/response to worry about. Depending on the sizes and power needed it might be feasible without too much weight. The reduction gears we use on US Navy ships/subs are massive... Now if you generate electricity, you can match the generator design to the turbine speed in order to maximize efficiency of both, but then you would need a battery, AC->DC conversion, so more weight and complexity. There are tradeoffs with both systems, but I think the most practical use would be in larger ships. Both methods need a water reservoir, condenser, pumps, etc which adds complexity and means regular maintenance, not something for the average commuter car and the like...

I say make these available for every home, work on making them smaller and smaller by incorporating nanotechnology. To the "Youll shoot your eye out" crowd to each your own, many could benifit from having virtually unlimited power. I dont see why they couldnt even be 3d printed and mass produced to create a power grid that isnt based on various big power plants.

originally posted by: CommandoJoe

originally posted by: yorkshirelad
Just had a thought ....this technology would herald a new steam age !!!!

Even in a nuclear power station all that technology simply boils water to turn a steam turbine to generate electricity (although I'm sure some people think differently Star Trek style !!!!)

It sounds simple, but in actual application it isn't quite so simple...

Now with a portable generator the only tried and tested way of converting "engine heat" to "work at the wheel" is via steam. Sure you could have a steam turbine and generate electricity but that would simply introducing inefficiencies. Why bother "turning" the steam turbine to make electricity to transmit to wheels to turn an electric motor when you could use the rotation of the steam turbine directly!!!!

So it seems an appropriate time to invest in steam engines

....time to go to Swindon or the York Railway Museum and dig out some of those archived plans.

Steam turbines are most efficient at high RPMs, so in order to transmit that high RPM power to the wheels you need a big reduction gear to bring it down to usable speeds which will introduce inefficiencies as well - then there's throttle control/response to worry about. Depending on the sizes and power needed it might be feasible without too much weight. The reduction gears we use on US Navy ships/subs are massive... Now if you generate electricity, you can match the generator design to the turbine speed in order to maximize efficiency of both, but then you would need a battery, AC->DC conversion, so more weight and complexity. There are tradeoffs with both systems, but I think the most practical use would be in larger ships. Both methods need a water reservoir, condenser, pumps, etc which adds complexity and means regular maintenance, not something for the average commuter car and the like...

you are very correct in your above statements about steam turbines.
There are rumours that one of the breakthroughs made might involve direct conversion of heat to electricity. If that is the case, it will change the way energy is generated and distributed.

originally posted by: punkinworks10
There are rumours that one of the breakthroughs made might involve direct conversion of heat to electricity. If that is the case, it will change the way energy is generated and distributed.

If they managed p-B11, then you can get electricity from the reaction directly, no heat, no turbines, no radiation, no difficulty finding fuel. That is the Holy Grail, though.