Fusion

noosfractal · 2006-09-28 06:33:16

China carries out test of fusion reactor
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/china_fusion

BEIJING - Scientists on Thursday carried out China's first successful test of an experimental fusion reactor ...

The Chinese facility is similar to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER ...

"It was important for China to show that it is part of the club, and that adds value to its participation in ITER," Marbach said.

"That is not to say that it is at the level of the Europeans or Americans," he said. However, he added, "We are rather admiring of the Chinese for conducting this test. It was conducted well, and they constructed (the machine) rather quickly." ...

John Creighton · 2006-10-02 00:04:00

China carries out test of fusion reactor
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/china_fusion
BEIJING - Scientists on Thursday carried out China's first successful test of an experimental fusion reactor ...
The Chinese facility is similar to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER ...
"It was important for China to show that it is part of the club, and that adds value to its participation in ITER," Marbach said.
"That is not to say that it is at the level of the Europeans or Americans," he said. However, he added, "We are rather admiring of the Chinese for conducting this test. It was conducted well, and they constructed (the machine) rather quickly." ...

Oh, cool. The race is on. I hope this helps speed up research.

Melvin · 2007-02-28 00:14:56

China carries out test of fusion reactor
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/china_fusion
BEIJING - Scientists on Thursday carried out China's first successful test of an experimental fusion reactor ...
The Chinese facility is similar to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER ...
"It was important for China to show that it is part of the club, and that adds value to its participation in ITER," Marbach said.
"That is not to say that it is at the level of the Europeans or Americans," he said. However, he added, "We are rather admiring of the Chinese for conducting this test. It was conducted well, and they constructed (the machine) rather quickly." ...
Oh, cool. The race is on. I hope this helps speed up research.

I do hope the research gets speed up and apprecite all the members who are working for the project day in and day out...

Cheers!!!

noosfractal · 2007-08-17 05:54:44

Russian scientist calls for fusion research program by year's end
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070816/71818954.html

A leading Russian nuclear scientist said the country must adopt a federal targeted program on the research and potential use of fusion power as an alternative energy source by the end of 2007.

A government meeting adopted Thursday the main provisions of a draft strategy for developing a fusion power industry up to 2015 and beyond, and instructed the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power to prepare a revised version of the document by October 1.

The strategy stipulates the allocation of 515 billion rubles (about $20 billion) for the development of a fusion power industry, including construction of commercial thermonuclear reactors, until 2050.
...

John Creighton · 2007-08-17 18:09:28

Russian scientist calls for fusion research program by year's end
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070816/71818954.html
A leading Russian nuclear scientist said the country must adopt a federal targeted program on the research and potential use of fusion power as an alternative energy source by the end of 2007.
A government meeting adopted Thursday the main provisions of a draft strategy for developing a fusion power industry up to 2015 and beyond, and instructed the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power to prepare a revised version of the document by October 1.
The strategy stipulates the allocation of 515 billion rubles (about $20 billion) for the development of a fusion power industry, including construction of commercial thermonuclear reactors, until 2050.
...

Okay, this is good. Now we must convince our governments that they need to beat the Russians.

noosfractal · 2007-08-18 02:24:45

It's good news, however most plans include basically waiting on the ITER results - but those aren't due until 2025. Maybe one of the IEC Fusion ideas will work out.

John Creighton · 2007-08-18 15:20:30

It's good news, however most plans include basically waiting on the ITER results - but those aren't due until 2025. Maybe one of the IEC Fusion ideas will work out.

Why do the results take so long?

noosfractal · 2007-08-18 17:50:11

Why do the results take so long?

Goddamn good question. I'm sure they'll say they're underfunded.

noosfractal · 2007-09-03 10:21:24

European scientists will build on U.S. military research to try to create laser-based nuclear fusion ...

http://www.physorg.com/news108035191.html

noosfractal · 2007-12-15 22:12:07

Signing of first procurement arrangement marks ITER project progress
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN … &RCN=28773

...
Japan will provide nine out of a total of 18 Toroidal Field (TF) Coils that will confine the plasma within the ITER machine. A further ten - including a spare - will be produced in Europe.

The production of the coils, which require the use of cutting-edge technology, will involve manufacturing about 400 tons of niobium3-tin conductor cable, making it one of the largest superconducting cable procurements in history.
...

Well, it's a start

Terraformer · 2007-12-16 07:27:28

About fuel for Fusion, would cycling H atoms aound a conventional nuclear reactor make the H atoms pick up a Neutron or two to produce H2 and He3?

noosfractal · 2007-12-16 10:46:24

About fuel for Fusion, would cycling H atoms aound a conventional nuclear reactor make the H atoms pick up a Neutron or two to produce H2 and He3?

Yes, but in practice it is easier to get Deuterium from seawater by chemical methods.

ITER uses Deuterium/Tritium fusion. Tritium is made commercially from Lithium-6 via neutron bombardment (you can use a fission reactor, but you don't need one, just a particle accelerator).

Although Deuterium/Tritium is easier, Deuterium/Deuterium is also possible, as is Deuterium/Helium-3. On Earth, Helium-3 is "produced" from Tritium decay, but people have long talked about mining the lunar regolith for He3 (as well as, later, the gas giants).

JoshNH4H · 2008-03-04 16:11:36

I have a new confinement scheme- It's like the Tokamak meets ICF.

Here's how it works. There is a solenoid magnet, but just in a strait line. On the top is a superconducting ring ( 8) ). There is also a laser, similar to that used in ICF, but much weaker, that helps to keep the plasma centered. I would suggest the li-7/P reaction, which is very energetic, and is completely aneutronic. It produces electricity (I suggest) through sterling cycles.

Terraformer · 2008-03-07 12:20:55

Of course, it would have to produce enough energy for both the superconducter and to make it worthwhile instead of Fission. What would the end element be?

Side note: do we have any Nuclear Physicists here? I'm sure there are but I don't know who they are 8)

JoshNH4H · 2008-03-07 14:44:31

This is the reaction: Li-7 + P => Be-8 +> 2 He- 4 + 17 MeV

Using Li-6 and D raises it to 22 MeV, but then there will be some D-D/lesser D-T as a side reaction.

Terraformer · 2008-03-07 15:16:24

That sounds like a slightly different version of your Li-7/N idea.

What is this Be-8 stuff? Berriliyum?

JoshNH4H · 2008-03-07 15:21:27

basically the same, just a little more energy. I don't like neutronic fusion. Of course, we could awas settle for B-11/P fusion.

Terraformer · 2008-03-07 16:03:20

B-11? What's that? How many Neutrons/Protons does it have. I'd make a guess at 5 P and 6 N, so P fusion would produce an element with 6 P 6 N. How many electrons (ie. is it reactive)?

Terraformer · 2008-03-14 12:53:38

What ae the curent problems with Fusion? It can't be confinement. Can it?

Why does it need to be confined? Why can't the reactor be big, the reactions happen in the middle, and by the time they reach the walls of the reactor they've cooled down enough to extract energy using normal (steam) methods?

JoshNH4H · 2008-03-14 14:08:34

actually, I was just thinking that. But the reactor fuel would cool before it could generate enough energy to make Q=1.

noosfractal · 2008-03-24 17:11:45

What ae the curent problems with Fusion? It can't be confinement. Can it?

It's _efficient_ confinement. Right now we use more energy to confine the plasma than can be practically generated from the heat released.

Why does it need to be confined?

Fusion only occurs when you overcome proton-proton electroforce repulsion and the attractive nuclear force takes over. To overcome p-p repulsion on Earth you need really high temperatures (stars do it using gravity). The smaller the plasma volume the better because it takes a lot of energy to heat a volume of, well, anything that much.

noosfractal · 2008-03-24 17:15:16

MIT tests unique approach to fusion power
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/ldx-tt0319.html

...Levitated Dipole Experiment...consists of a supercooled, superconducting magnet about the size and shape of a large truck tire. When the reactor is in operation, this half-ton magnet is levitated inside a huge vacuum chamber, using another powerful magnet above the chamber to hold it aloft.

The advantage of the levitating system is that it requires no internal supporting structure, which would interfere with the magnetic field lines surrounding the donut-shaped magnet, explains Jay Kesner of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, joint director of LDX with Michael Mauel of Columbia. That allows the hot, dense electrically charged gas, or plasma, inside the reactor to flow along those magnetic field lines without bumping into any obstacles that would disrupt it (and the fusion process)...

...Unlike the Tokamak design, in which the magnetic field must be narrowed to squeeze the hot plasma to greater density, in a dipole field the plasma naturally gets condensed, Kesner explains. Vibrations actually increase the density, whereas in a Tokamak any turbulence tends to spread out the hot plasma...

naitsabes · 2008-05-19 11:56:05

some news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7407963.stm

JoshNH4H · 2008-05-19 14:01:55

would confining the plasma with eddy currents work?

SarK0Y · 2012-08-23 17:50:29

noosfractal wrote:

Why do the results take so long?
Goddamn good question. I'm sure they'll say they're underfunded.

prime issue is oscillation of magnetic field because artificial sun produces non-constant output, thereby, at higher power, it fires wires, electronics + dreadful mechanical vibrations goes on as well. actually, it been myth about 'green fusion'

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