New Ingredient for Fusion: Mayonnaise!

[Paul_Schatzkin]

.
I think it might be fair to say that the laser induced inertial confinement approach to fusion has finally jumped the shark:

Researchers dig deeper into stability challenges of nuclear fusion—with mayonnaise

https://phys.org/news/2024-08-deeper-st ... naise.html

"We use mayonnaise because it behaves like a solid, but when subjected to a pressure gradient, it starts to flow," he says. Using the condiment also negates the need for high temperatures and pressure conditions, which are exceedingly difficult to control.

The best part is, if the fusion doesn't work, you can still make a sandwich.

--PS

[Richard Hull]

This paper is related to the IEC NIF hohlraum construction. It talks of capsule configurations to create a momentary ideal fusion state. The state is sub micro-second in length in the X-ray induced, laser blast at NIF. Wow! More efficient putt-putt boat fusion with a 2-8 day "putt-putt" rate or period.

Real news here if you believe in IEC fusion as performed at NIF. Even this is a mere hope of doing better putt fusion every 2-8 days. (the time needed to fashion a new little hohlraum capsule for blasting.) These are, in effect, micro hydrogen bombs and are equivalent to powering a grid with lightning strikes.

Hope springs eternal.

Richard Hull

[Dennis P Brown]

Direct drive uses rapid injection - researchers in the past have constructed devices that have injected one pellet every 1/5 second. Better still, these iced deuterium hollow pellets with a plastic outer coating can be mass produce at a cost of $0.25/pellet - actually done.

A test power supply for a fusion type laser has achieved that rate of fire (5/sec) for three months straight w/o failure.

A proper laser - say an ArF2 trans-excited laser has well over 20% conversion efficiency from wall outlet to photon on target. The ArF2 laser is deep UV which vastly improves coupling and reduces instabilities.

NIF uses indirect drive and that was never meant for power but weapons research only.

For NIF it is, maybe, 0.5% and in the green. Yet they have created ignition with that putt-putt rate (uh, every three months, actually. They wish eight weeks but that isn't possible.) Yes, a joke compared to a power plant but more progress than tokamaks - so far.

[Richard Hull]

Small hydrogen bombs set off sequentially at a suitable rate would do it, but savage their environment. You gotta' catch and down convert the lightning and be efficient at it while still having a survivable containment. Tricky biz.

The great thing about H bombs; efficiency is not a concern, they are efficient enough at destruction. Length of time on this particular "bent" in earnest, is 12 years.

Plasma fusion has taken almost 75 active years and Zip.

Not one usable, converted and deployed watt of fusion, ever! Speaks volumes.

Don't tell me how much energy you produced....Tell me how much you can gimme at a useful rate, to use, now!

Richard Hull