Skip to main content

Devastating NIF graphic:

Devastating NIF graphic:

http://twitpic.com/e1beo6

Comments

Anonymous said…
Moron ! Doesn't understand ignition !
Anonymous said…
It would look better on a log plot...
Anonymous said…
I do not recall Albright ever saying that NIF would achieve ignition in the next fiscal year. He may have said that the NIC had an ignition deadline in the next fiscal year.
Anonymous said…
Ignition is NOT defined as a system GAIN of unity, e.g. 2 MJ UV laser input, 2 MJ total fusion output (thermal, kinetic, X-rays, ..). Ignition is the "convergence" of several critical parameters that define an ignition threshold factor. When that factor is unity +/- say 20% we have achieved ignition. Refined target design, laser pulse shaping, higher UV energy input, etc...tuning would be required to get the system gain required for a fusion plant.
Anonymous said…
Ignition is defined as whatever is needed to bilk the American taxpayer out of enough dollars to float LLNL for the next few years. Yes, llnl IS NIF and NIF IS LLNL.
Anonymous said…
Yes, llnl IS NIF and NIF IS LLNL.

April 28, 2014 at 7:15 PM

If what you say is true, then LLNL is dead.
Anonymous said…
Oh please, ITF is a simworld parameter grounded in the same simulations that are simply WRONG and can't be relied upon anymore. Reality ain't simworld. Gain = 1 means neutron energy out = laser energy in, has for years and years, long before the gamers came up with "ITF".
Anonymous said…
Wrong-o!

Gain = 1 means total energy out (not just neutron) = laser energy in

The alpha particle energy gets counted in the balance.
Anonymous said…
Any power out that can't be used to produce electricity in a plant shouldn't count. Just common sense.
Anonymous said…
Alpha particles don't leave in a high areal density implosion, they stop and heat the plasma, which boosts the fusion rate and makes more neutrons that do mostly escape. Only neutrons and photons get out to be counted, and only neutrons get counted in the balance. Been the working definition for a lot of years.
Anonymous said…
Been the working definition for a lot of years.

April 29, 2014 at 7:22 PM

Needs to be modified if you want credibility as a commercial power source.
Anonymous said…
Yes of course, but the reference was to the definition of gain = 1.

Popular posts from this blog

Plutonium Shots on NIF.

Tri-Valley Cares needs to be on this if they aren't already. We need to make sure that NNSA and LLNL does not make good on promises to pursue such stupid ideas as doing Plutonium experiments on NIF. The stupidity arises from the fact that a huge population is placed at risk in the short and long term. Why do this kind of experiment in a heavily populated area? Only a moron would push that kind of imbecile area. Do it somewhere else in the god forsaken hills of Los Alamos. Why should the communities in the Bay Area be subjected to such increased risk just because the lab's NIF has failed twice and is trying the Hail Mary pass of doing an SNM experiment just to justify their existence? Those Laser EoS techniques and the people analyzing the raw data are all just BAD anyways. You know what comes next after they do the experiment. They'll figure out that they need larger samples. More risk for the local population. Stop this imbecilic pursuit. They wan...

Trump is to gut the labs.

The budget has a 20% decrease to DOE office of science, 20% cut to NIH. NASA also gets a cut. This will  have a huge negative effect on the lab. Crazy, juts crazy. He also wants to cut NEA and PBS, this may not seem like  a big deal but they get very little money and do great things.

LLNL un-diversity

Actual post from Dec. 15 from one of the streams. This is a real topic. As far as promoting women and minorities even if their qualifications are not as good as the white male scientists, I am all for it. We need diversity at the lab and if that is what it takes, so be it.  Quit your whining. Look around the lab, what do you see? White male geezers. How many African Americans do you see at the lab? Virtually none. LLNL is one of the MOST undiverse places you will see. Face it folks, LLNL is an institution of white male privilege and they don't want to give up their privileged positions. California, a state of majority Hispanics has the "crown jewel" LLNL nestled in the middle of it with very FEW Hispanics at all!