Recent and fresh fusion. Just what the doctor ordered

Reflections on fusion history, current events, and predictions for the 'fusion powered future.
Post Reply
User avatar
Richard Hull
Moderator
Posts: 14976
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2001 9:44 am
Real name: Richard Hull

Recent and fresh fusion. Just what the doctor ordered

Post by Richard Hull »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GJtGpvE1sQ

Yes, the classic putt-putt boast fusion is once again brought to the fore. Notice no numbers of real operations are reported. Lots of hype as per normal. It is noted that to dial up the power output, one only need dial up the rep rate. Those few involved in pulsed power can immediately see the issues here.

Assuming this works flawlessly, (huge assumption), what kind of charging load and rapidity in rep rate is viable? Anyone can glibly state " just turn up the rep rate". The goal is rather small potable 50MW generators in a low distribution loss fusion power network. They even speak of the reality of many times over unity needed to self power such a system with enough left over to actually pump out 50MW. No real numbers here, of course.

There are no numbers because there are no numbers as to the fusion already done in their earlier model that they claim was "successful". Naturally no numbers about how many times over unity they will need as they have obviously not reached any where near unity. I doubt if their greatest success was on the order of a million to one net loss at Q total!

In the end, they are talking D-3He fusion. All folks any real stature on fusor.net know two things about this fusion. It is far more difficult than D-D and D-T fusion and that there is no power ready national supply or even world supply of 3He. We are back to the old saw, where are you going to get power station quantities of 3He?? They immediately go to talk of mining the moon!! Isn't that just grand...

Promises abound and a bright fresh flowered road lay ahead. These guys claim billions invested in their venture. I watched for one single factoid in the form of fusion numbers from their early models. Silly me. Why fill the mindless heads watching with numbers that they would not understand, or that one or two wise onlookers might see the emperor wore no clothes and note it to would-be investors.

One would hope deep pocket investors would employ competent fusion science people to say "invest" or "stay away".

The public and even investors here are treated like a cash crop of mushrooms.........."keep 'em in the dark and feed 'em a lot of s--t.

For who are mystified with the term Q, Q total, Q plasma and would seek to fully understand these key things related to net power fusion, go to this FAQ that I posted in the fusion theory forum. there is a URL that will bring all of this home.

viewtopic.php?t=14288


Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
User avatar
Richard Hull
Moderator
Posts: 14976
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2001 9:44 am
Real name: Richard Hull

Re: Recent and fresh fusion. Just what the doctor ordered

Post by Richard Hull »

For all the bluster and hope of the Helion video above, I did find a more well done non-Helion video that supplies more info., but still boosts Helion's effort. It is especially good with the actual funding numbers. (who and how much) The largest funding, 1.2 billion is based on milestones. This is a great way to not waste money as failure to meet a milestone will withdraw all future funding out of the promised sum.

It is still a booster for Helion but does fly away near the end of the video looking at the actual terawatt-years of power for a Helion powered fusion energy system due to the available recoverable 3He from Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune!!! Oh My goodness!!

It is important to remember that this is a heated plasma system with electromagnetic confinement and inertially based as part of its operation. It is also a "direct conversion" electrical output operation with all the issues that entails.

Furthermore, It is said that in the last reactor they made they achieved 100 million kelvins. Even this bold claim is far short of power fusion, especially the more difficult D-3He fusion process.

I think way too much to conquer with even 20 billion dollars.

While a bit more complete on some facts it is worth the look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mMW44r4PTs

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
User avatar
Dennis P Brown
Posts: 3147
Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 10:46 am
Real name: Dennis Brown

Re: Recent and fresh fusion. Just what the doctor ordered

Post by Dennis P Brown »

Achieved 100 million K? LOL! Without a confinement time of many minutes with a high enough plasma density that number doesn't mean a thing.
Still, there are far more important issues that anyone talking about serious fusion generation must first address for any power plant application.

Notice no one ever mentions two show stoppers that even currently working research fusion machines do not discuss publicly? First, stopping the killer neutron threat to reactor walls! Second one and unique to tokamac's is the interesting behavior of these machines to burn through their outer walls 100% of the time if operated for more than a minute. That could ruin your day if it progresses into a SC magnet (not unlikely). Then this failure mode would turn the entire machine into a massive exploding scrap heap that would likely destroy the building as well.

These two issues are ultimate killers if not solved and no one has the slightest real world solution to these problems. Yes, the Stellarator does not have the plasma burn through issue at all since its not a tokamac. But the neutron wall threat issue is still there for stellarator's.

Until someone solves these issues (the wall threat being primary to all designs), even if a research reactor somehow reaches a Q of over a hundred, who'd care? The reactor would be toast in no time and no human could ever get near it for repairs/upkeep.

Aside: it is possible to protect walls in an inertia drive fusion machine but no such device is available (NIF is an utter joke) nor likely to be built (thanks to NIF), in any case.
Post Reply

Return to “Fusion --- Past, Present, and Future”