A Breakthrough In American Energy Dominance? U.S. Navy Patents Compact Fusion Reactor

A Breakthrough In American Energy Dominance? U.S. Navy Patents Compact Fusion Reactor

Theoretically, Pais’ concept could produce upwards of one gigawatt (one billion watts) to 1 terawatt (one trillion watts) of power from just a megawatt (one million watts) of energy input. For reference, a large nuclear power plant produces around 1 gigawatt of power, enough to supply some 700,000 American homes.

If it works, the Navy patented CFR could replace the fission nuclear reactors used in almost 150 naval vessels – most of which operate under the 100 MW range. In fact, a CFR the size of a small car could be utilized in any peaceful or wartime scenario where energy is needed, from ships to jets to tanks to remote military bases.

It is no wonder, then, that the US Naval patent claim has come under scrutiny from the scientific community, especially given that the device only measures 0.3 to 2 meters in diameter. Instead of using superconducting magnets in larger, more traditional fusion plants, Pais’ design uses conical dynamic fusors that spin at extremely high speeds to produce a sustained, concentrated magnetic flux that could in theory sustain the plasma state needed for power production. This powerful magnetic flux then compresses an isotopic hydrogen gas mixture to form a plasma core in the vacuum chamber, which can achieve temperatures high enough to achieve true fusion with breakeven energy.

So, is this a disinformation campaign to send US competitors down a dead end path, wasting time and resources chasing fusion fool's gold or is this a major breakthrough ushering a new age of emissions free energy prosperity?

My bet is on the former, though I would be very happy to be proven wrong. Whenever the industry is asked about when fusion power is coming, the answer has always been, "in thirty years". It has been that answer for about 70 years..... Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I believe this prediction will come true someday....hopefully in less than thirty years.

They are probably just declassifying something they have had for a long time. I am sure that they knew about this technology for years, but utilizing it would put a lot of workers out of work and really hurt our economy.

They cannot come right out and say they had it and that this energy is way cheaper, people would get pissed because electric bills are ten times what they should be if they had told us before.

I hope it is real... if for no other reason, just to shut AOC and her followers up.

a reply to: BomSquad

Not holding my breath.

a reply to: BomSquad

We spend millions. The Chinese spend billions:

China spending US$3.3 billion on molten salt nuclear reactors for faster aircraft carriers and in flying drones

I think the Chinese are going to win the alternative energy race. Big Oil will now allow the US to compete.

originally posted by: butcherguy
I hope it is real... if for no other reason, just to shut AOC and her followers up.

I like AOC and her followers. But I too also hope it is real. Sometimes politics has nothing to do with it.

Several years ago Lockheed engineers announced a small, portable fusion reactor that could fit on a flatbed truck and power a small community.

Big excitement in the media. Then nothing.

Is it propaganda? Doubtful. Physics don’t lie, and there are too many sharp physicists (the majority of them NOT Americans) who will see the “fly’s in the ointment” long before their representative counties spend a dime to pursue this unicorn.

More likely a patent was issued as a “cover” for a far more mundane technology with a much more immediate and prosaic military application.

Because we always do open patents on technology that would impact national security. I'm sure China would respect the patent the same as they always do.

So, it seems we're left with with something other than it seems. Could be the OP's suspicion that it's a red-herring or RickeyMouse's suggestion that we already have it or...???

originally posted by: rickymouse
They are probably just declassifying something they have had for a long time. I am sure that they knew about this technology for years, but utilizing it would put a lot of workers out of work and really hurt our economy.

They cannot come right out and say they had it and that this energy is way cheaper, people would get pissed because electric bills are ten times what they should be if they had told us before.

in the words of Mark Dansie, "Unless I can buy it off the end-cap of an aisle in Home Depot it's not real."

Mark Dansie Revolution Gree

a reply to: BomSquad

How could the article not mention the German Stellerator.

The problem is if you do not have a proven containment field then the plasma will instantly melt a hole to through the bottom of any Navy ship.

Physicists confirm the precision of magnetic fields in the most advanced stellarator in the world

The best thing about the German Wendelstein 7-X, besides it was created by socialism, is that is has the very best precision and fidelity of keeping the plasma contained as proven by experiments.

Anyone can get a patent. Let's see some papers on how well it performs.

Fusion cars, fusion airplanes, fusion trains. I just don't see it happening for one simple reason - oil

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: butcherguy
I hope it is real... if for no other reason, just to shut AOC and her followers up.

I like AOC and her followers. But I too also hope it is real. Sometimes politics has nothing to do with it.

Why on Earth do you like AOC?

You like ignorant people who scream out stupid stuff constantly?

There is nothing worse than an idiot that thinks they are smart yelling out their dumb ideas and being smug about it.

Sweet!
Can I sign up for a test unit?
I'll put it in a jetski

a reply to: BomSquad

Lockheed has been working on a new fusion design publicly for the last 5 years or so.

It seems this is based off their design - so it could be possible they just think this change to the design will be superior and they want to patent it to get some protection on the idea.

It does not mean they have successfully created such a reactor that actually works yet.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: BomSquad

We spend millions. The Chinese spend billions:

China spending US$3.3 billion on molten salt nuclear reactors for faster aircraft carriers and in flying drones

I think the Chinese are going to win the alternative energy race. Big Oil will now allow the US to compete.

Lockheed Martin has been working on a fusion reactor prototype for a little while now. Don't be parading in your Chinese garb just yet.

originally posted by: KiwiNite
Fusion cars, fusion airplanes, fusion trains. I just don't see it happening for one simple reason - oil

We're a long way from those things being powered by fusion.

"Compact" for a naval vessel.

a reply to: proximo

AOC says some crazy stuff, but then again so do the people who pick and choose what she says and also make up a lot of crap about her to paint her as this insane person.

Either way, the news in the OP is great, this makes for some good headway for electric cars and getting rid of coal and useless energy industries like it, and use fossil fuels for where we need them the most.

I rather like the idea that some tech geeks in the Navy figured something out that the big $ labs could not.

it does sound too good to be true, so the dead-end-bait thought makes sense.

maybe they would start as emergency power (FEMA) after storms etc. / disaster relief (third world quakes)

thanks for info

a reply to: BomSquad

First off, it is Forbes talking about “fusion” which like talking about “living on Mars”... reality is a lot different! If you read the patent itself you would see that the design is for a source of fast neutrons, not a power plant! So most of what Forbes says in the article is about nuclear fusion in general.

Second, the patent does not describe what that “flux capacitor thing” in all the dumb photos shows! 4 cones, rotating around a central stream of plasma (that is what I thought was being explained). Uh, I don’t think that you need to spin anything around as the plasma itself carries a current and stirs everything around the reactor, but, like I said, the patent does not address that. It is more of a business “white paper” discussing reactor designs.

I think Lockheed’s CFR design is the real deal. It is not described very well either because they start talking about ships and space travel and powering a 100,000 homes but they should explain the design! The magnetic cage is “leaky” (cusp) and was abandoned early on. LM said, “so the cusp leaks. Now what?” And that is where genius stepped in. Idea: wrap the whole thing in a stronger magnetic field that surrounds the cusp! Uhm, then the plasma will flow away from the center to the top and bottom of the magnetic cylinder. Well, duh! Then you add a magnetic mirror and shoot it back down the center line of original cusp containers!! See, the more fuel you add, the more heat you add, the faster the plasma circulates causing more fusion reactions in the center: compact fusion reactor!

Had it been explained that way from the get go, then there is no second guessing, or trolling.

Same thing here with Pais’ patent. Explain why it works or is different. Or let a business magazine explain it!

a reply to: BomSquad

Well even if it is dissinfo it's small so building one to test will not break the bank