Nuclear fusion nears efficiency break-even

Originally posted by Zarniwoop

To exceed scientific break-even is the most hotly sought-after goal of fusion research, in which the energy released by a fusion reaction is greater than the energy put into it — an achievement that would have extraordinary energy and defense implications.

Knowing our jacked-up administrations/controlling functionaries, they'll use this tech to develop new energy-weapons used to defend oil pipelines or refineries in the middle east

Originally posted by TXRabbit
Knowing our jacked-up administrations/controlling functionaries, they'll use this tech to develop new energy-weapons used to defend oil pipelines or refineries in the middle east

That's so wrong on so many levels but we are so convoluted it is probably closer to the mark

reply to post by SLAYER69


I suppose a 20-year lag between military and civilian/commercial use isn't too long to wait in the grand scheme of things.

I do like my microwave oven and GPS navigator

It will cut down on potential warfare over resources in the future me thinks.

It would be very interesting to see if the liberation of other countries and the spread of freedom and democracy dwindled as a result of displacing oil as the world's primary energy resource.

This baby step is still in theory only. Huge amounts of electricity are required to carry out test shots that fuze elements in the special chambers. These one shot, mini hydrogen bombs are cool but have little practical application to the generation of power for the grid.

Difficulties involving the feeding of the chamber containment (which would eventually melt) so as to sustain a small sun in the bowels of a power plant are enormous. They aren't even close.

Besides the results of sudden failure of said containment would prove disastrous for anyone within the blast radius.

You think ordinary Fission power plants are dangerous, who wants small suns burning on the horizon making electricity? It is primarily a defense research project with lots of feel good propaganda attached.

Another fancy way to boil water and turn turbines...pffft

Edit: By the way, we aren't the only ones looing at it. Heres a pic of China's "Magic Light" laser test chamber:

Imagine Joe Inventor claiming a new energy source that requires hundreds of billions of dollars to fully research and will take at least 50 years to solve all the problems. what would we do? Simple he would laughed at and told to take a hike. Oh hang on let's call it Nuclear Fusion, oh I see, sorry sure here's the money no questions asked and if you still fail after 50 years will give you even more money........

Do you not think that this money is buying something more than an unfulfilled promise of a solution to our energy crisis? Very suspicious.

This technology is as likely as all those new energy devices on the internet.

Even if they succeed do you not think it a bit of an overkill to boil water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At the end of the day all that technology does is generate heat to boil water to create steam to turn a steam turbine. We are still in the steam age we have merely changed the fuel from coal to controlled nuclear explosions!

Hot fusion is not the answer to our problems.
This technology continues feeding our dependence on a central grid which is:

- very expensive to maintain
- potentially dangerous for our health (EM emissions)
- controlled by only a few (TPTB)
- priced by corrupt cartels
- big issue for failure tolerance

No. I don't need hot fusion no matter if it will work one day or not.

We need independence from the grid. Self-sustaining energy generators for each household and more research into alternative (forbidden) energy topics like cold fusion, LENR, zero point energy converters etc.

We need to break free from control and the dominance of a few.

Amen.

reply to post by SLAYER69



The proper use of electromagnetic properties and principles, with atomics, will absolutely yield energy solutions that will blow oil burning out of the bloody water.

In due time...

Originally posted by mrMasterJoe
Hot fusion is not the answer to our problems.
This technology continues feeding our dependence on a central grid which is:

- very expensive to maintain
- potentially dangerous for our health (EM emissions)
- controlled by only a few (TPTB)
- priced by corrupt cartels
- big issue for failure tolerance

No. I don't need hot fusion no matter if it will work one day or not.

We need independence from the grid. Self-sustaining energy generators for each household and more research into alternative (forbidden) energy topics like cold fusion, LENR, zero point energy converters etc.

We need to break free from control and the dominance of a few.

Amen.

edit on 19-9-2012 by mrMasterJoe because: (no reason given)

Energy production, health care, big corporations, food...


yea, there need to be more opportunities that are reasonably cost efficient for people to be independent, to a significant degree, in regards to the above ideas.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
No, but we can all have Electric cars with an almost infinite supply of cleanly generated electricity.

Remember the laws of thermodynamics? Infinite energy would mean infinite waste heat, which means we would cook the Earth and all its inhabitants alive. I'm all for cheaper energy but I am absolutely not for having an infinitely or even a very large amount of energy in a finite space(this Earth) causing enough waste heat that could destroy life.

It reminds me of a great article I read on the oildrum website about infinite growth in energy consumption and a very similar thread i read on this website that talked about exponential growth. In the thread the author talked about resource limits to human growth in both energy consumption and population. Basically what I'm saying is - when is enough, enough? How large does our civilization have to be? Will we be sitting around in 10,000 years debating whether or not to harvest another galaxy worth of stars? I don't think the meaning of our existence is to expand and grow as fast as possible, using all resources we come across. To me that sounds a little like a cancer.

The Oil Drum Article

Figure 2. Global power demand under sustained 2.3% growth on a logarithmic plot. In 275, 345, and 400 years, we demand all the sunlight hitting land and then the earth as a whole, assuming 20%, 100%, and 100% conversion efficiencies, respectively. In 1350 years, we use as much power as the sun generates. In 2450 years, we use as much as all hundred-billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Vertical notes provide historical perspective on how distant these benchmarks are in the context of civilization.

Taken from oildrum.com

Space, the final frontier...

reply to post by benrl

recent articles on warp capability

You have a link my good man/woman?

Our future may be bright with nuclear fusion coming into the realistic realm. But who gets first crack at it? The governments. Now they might be able to create a clean nuclear bomb. That's the sad news about it. We find out how to harness nuclear fission, so we go blow up a bunch of islands, desert and cities :'( I hope these researchers can keep their discovery under wraps. Find a way to further explore their research and pretty much monopolize their information to create Fusion Plants around the world, heavily secured and monitored by scientists for humanity's sake.

Originally posted by mrMasterJoe
Hot fusion is not the answer to our problems.
This technology continues feeding our dependence on a central grid which is:

- very expensive to maintain
- potentially dangerous for our health (EM emissions)
- controlled by only a few (TPTB)
- priced by corrupt cartels
- big issue for failure tolerance

No. I don't need hot fusion no matter if it will work one day or not.

We need independence from the grid. Self-sustaining energy generators for each household and more research into alternative (forbidden) energy topics like cold fusion, LENR, zero point energy converters etc.

We need to break free from control and the dominance of a few.

Amen.

edit on 19-9-2012 by mrMasterJoe because: (no reason given)

Yes, but its very safe compared to fission. Fusion reaction stops instantly when you want it. Fission takes some time and can result in meltdown. There is no meltdown problem with fusion. And only radioactive waste you get, is reactor itself.

And we would already have alternative for uranium fission: Thorium reactor. Too bad thorium cannot be used to make nuclear weapons, so this technology will never be finished. Like the fusion, we would have almost infinite supply of thorium. Its not common metal, but 99% of it can be used for this reactor. Only 0,7% of Uranium can be used for fission reaction, that is U-235 isotope, only isotope that can sustain chain reaction.

Originally posted by Svipdagr
Our future may be bright with nuclear fusion coming into the realistic realm. But who gets first crack at it? The governments. Now they might be able to create a clean nuclear bomb. That's the sad news about it. We find out how to harness nuclear fission, so we go blow up a bunch of islands, desert and cities :'( I hope these researchers can keep their discovery under wraps. Find a way to further explore their research and pretty much monopolize their information to create Fusion Plants around the world, heavily secured and monitored by scientists for humanity's sake.

No this is exactly the opposite of what we need them to do!

give the information out to everyone as soon as possible..make it free to everyone to make their own.

Originally posted by mrMasterJoe
cold fusion

No conclusive evidence.

LENR

No conclusive evidence.

zero point energy converters

Pseudo-scientific quackery.

Hot fusion has the enormous bonus of actually being real. Real trumps unsubstantiated/quackery any day of the week.

Originally posted by Svipdagr
Our future may be bright with nuclear fusion coming into the realistic realm. But who gets first crack at it? The governments. Now they might be able to create a clean nuclear bomb. That's the sad news about it. We find out how to harness nuclear fission, so we go blow up a bunch of islands, desert and cities :'( I hope these researchers can keep their discovery under wraps. Find a way to further explore their research and pretty much monopolize their information to create Fusion Plants around the world, heavily secured and monitored by scientists for humanity's sake.

Actually the military is responsible for the breakthrough, although it's the laser that is used they are interested in.

Originally posted by Propulsion
reply to post by benrl

 

recent articles on warp capability

You have a link my good man/woman?

Here you go, interesting read. enjoy.

Ya I agree, THIS is definitely not for civilian application. They going to use it to power a REALLY BIG rail gun or something? (Think large power pulses!) And isn't cold fusion the more appealing one of the two types of fusion research to endeavor after? I would guess cold fusion produces less power out than hot at this point in time. Just my thoughts.

reply to post by john_bmth


Ridiculous reply. Please keep your prejudices for yourself.

For the first two there is evidence already piling up including NASA(!) working in the LENR domain.
Zero point energy is a physical fact which is accepted by mainstream scientists - look up the Casimir effect if you haven't done your homework.
Did I say that there is a working converter / generator? No. Did I say that I know how to build one? No. Did I say we need more research into this field? Yes. But it is rejected from openly being researched because of what you just demonstrated: prejudice!

Your reply just proves my point that people have an opinion even without knowning anything.

oops... wrong thread