Time Magazine Fusion Article
There is an excellent article inside and on the cover of the Time Magazine publication dated November 2, 2015 dealing with how various FUSION projects are going.
The major focus of the article concerns an Orange Country California company called Tri Alpha.
Most FUSION projects are using a combination of Hydrogen Isotopes named Deuterium and Tritium as fuel to use in their reactors.
The upside to using these as fuels is that they will fuse at low temperatures. Making things easier.
However, this produces radiation and you have to heat steam, that turns turbines to produce electricity.
With Tri Alpha's approach, they use Hydrogen and Boron as fuel.
This is called Aneutronic Fusion as little or no neutrons are produced in the reaction.
The neutrons carry radiation.
There are two advantages to this, there is very little radiation, and electricity is produced in the reaction itself, not needing to heat steam and turn turbines.
Some naysayers say that the 3 Billion degrees Centigrade needed to do this makes things too difficult.
Tri Alpha personnel point out that heavy ion colliders have produced temperatures of 3.8 Trillion degrees Centigrade.
There are a number of companies throughout the world doing FUSION projects.
If they can do this we are home free on the clean energy front.
NIF was not even mentioned.....it's not a player in the quest for fusion.
http://time.com/4082939/inside-the-quest-for-fusion-clean-energys-holy-grail/?xid=homepage&pcd=hp-magmodREACTIONS:
Anonymous said...
Apparently your entire knowledge of science comes from Time magazine. Hint: don't embarrass yourself by trying to create a synopsis of a science article you didn't understand on a blog populated by scientists.
Anonymous said...
"Blog populated by scientists"? This doesn't explain all the LANL people on this site.
Anonymous said...
I don't know what 9:48's problem is. I've worked in the field and find nothing wrong with the synopsis above.
Anonymous said...
The NIF people must be furious with that article, especially those involved in the Moses-Hurricane high-foot break-even scam. I can see Goldstein and others trying to figure out how to upstage this article. No doubt calls have gone out to various press outlets trying to promote some recent "advances" on NIF.
Anonymous said...
I see what you did there, 10:30. Well played, sir, well played...
Anonymous said...
I see what you did there, 10:30. Well played, sir, well played...
November 7, 2015 at 4:18 AM
A well tuned and refined appreciation for snarkiness. The LLNL brand.
Anonymous said...
History will come to view NIF as the Spruce Goose of fusion energy. It could even become a stop-off for tourists visiting the local wine country. Heck, NIF could team up with a local winery and market "NIF Fusion Chardonnay".
Anonymous said...
The Spruce Goose at least got off the ground.
Anonymous said...
Entropy Cellars makes a wine called Fusion. Word is Moses was a big customer.
Anonymous said...
Anonymous Anonymous said...
The Spruce Goose at least got off the ground.
November 7, 2015 at 4:28 PM
I think you mean "off the water."
Anonymous said...
"History will come to view NIF as the Spruce Goose of fusion energy".
Interesting metaphor that may be an appropriate metaphor for LLNL itself. It could be argued that the CA/Berkeley/LLNL role were little more than a token Washington acknowledgement that West Coast liberalism and intellectualism had at least some relevance to the cold war enterprise.
Anonymous said...
The Spruce Goose at least got off the ground.
November 7, 2015 at 4:28 PM
That is true but it did not really fly it was more like an ekranoplans. Still better than NIF.
Anonymous said...
NIF and the Spruce Goose? Has anyone seen Ed lately? Any chance he his hair is now down to his waist, he has three-inch fingernails and is holed up at Extended Stay and guarded by Mormons?
Anonymous said...
6:18 - awesome Howard Hughes reference
