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$14 Million for Fusion Energy Sciences Research

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Department of Energy Announces $14 Million for Fusion Energy Sciences Research

"A major goal of the research is to develop methods of sustaining steady-state or continuous operation of fusion reactors, an essential step toward eventually making nuclear fusion a practical energy source...The research focuses on high-priority challenges in “magnetic confinement” of plasma (a hot mixture of ions and free electrons) on the pathway toward eventual development of a contained, self-sustaining fusion reaction.  The research will be performed on the DIII-D tokamak, the largest magnetically confined plasma facility in the United States."

https://www.energy.gov/articles/department-energy-announces-14-million-fusion-energy-sciences-research 

Comments

Anonymous said…
It’s called “monetizing failure”. The major utility companies looked at fusion 30 years ago and determined they would never touch it. Yet people continue with this futile quest. The problem isn’t even breakeven, it’s the neutron damage. No “expert” in the fusion field would even touch that topic. Try bringing it up at a conference. An then there’s the conversion of the neutrons into heat and steam to drive electric generators, assuming you can completely replace your brittle, neutron damaged machine every year.

The original aim of all these fusion programs was to put a happy face on thermonuclear weapon development. Great PR idea. But now it’s 60 years later. Time to pull the plug. Oh, and a note to the DOE, you don’t need so many plasma physicists. We have codes.
8/01/2019 2:15 PM
Anonymous said…
"The original aim of all these fusion programs was to put a happy face on thermonuclear weapon development. Great PR idea. But now it’s 60 years later. Time to pull the plug. Oh, and a note to the DOE, you don’t need so many plasma physicists. We have codes.

8/01/2019 2:15 PM"

Very true, in fact you don't need many scientists either since we have codes.
8/01/2019 8:30 PM
Anonymous said…
Plasma physicists aren't scientists?
8/02/2019 6:14 PM
Anonymous said…
We have codes.
8/01/2019 2:15 PM

Precisely why you need real physicists, who actually understand natural laws, instead of glorified programmers, and their bug infested software.
8/04/2019 2:17 PM
Anonymous said…
"Precisely why you need real physicists"

No, we have the codes. Having real scientists is very risky since they tend to be arrogant and act like cowboys. The labs are a Jiffy Lube shop at best. It is pits, testing a few codes, and stewardship, and once you realize that and accept that you will drop that best and brightest attitude real fast. What I don't understand is how did UC, Texas AM and Battelle win LANL, it just makes no sense. By the way I am not bitter, never have been and never will be, I just call it like it is.

As for fusion let Elon Musk or the Chinese do it.
8/05/2019 2:13 AM
Anonymous said…
By the way I am not bitter, never have been and never will be, I just call it like it is.

8/05/2019 2:13 AM

HaHaHaHaHa!!! You aren't too obvious in trying to head off the obvious, are you? HaHaHaHa!!
8/05/2019 5:27 PM
Anonymous said…
No, we have the codes.
8/05/2019 2:13 AM

and a bunch of video game programmers.
8/05/2019 6:16 PM
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