New York Energy Week: Fusion Energy Sooner and Cheaper?

[Marlin]

New York Energy Week: Fusion Energy Sooner and Cheaper?

http://breakingenergy.com/2015/06/18/new-york-energy-week-fusion-energy-sooner-and-cheaper/

[Marlin]

No not in ours or our children's lifetimes.

  Yes of course I should have realized that you were much more knowledgable than an MIT Professor in a field you do not work in.

[Rennhack]

I have to agree with Rerun on this one.

[Marlin]

I have to agree with Rerun on this one.

   Fusions problems have been the surrounding technologies, the professor is talking about some new innovations that may break down the blocks to fusion. I have heard the jokes about the Tokamak reactor being a jobs program for scientists and engineers and repeated so called break trough's that weren't. I have no problem questioning scientific conventional wisdom as demonstrated by my posts on Climate Change in PolySci but these are not theoretical advancements in science and do seem to be a potential fix to problems in containment and energy transfer. Not to mention that RERUNs standard response is an annoying anti-nuclear or anti-Navy in terse negative pronouncements lacking any explanation or attempt at discussion.

[Rennhack]

I worked at a fusion reactor, and I can tell you that 3d printing isn't going to help fusion, it isn't fixing any problems.  We can already make "cooling channels formed inside solid metal parts" It's a buzzword to get more funding.  The special coolant, isn't special.  lithium fluoride (LiF) and beryllium fluoride (BeF2) have been around for a very long time.  Dr. Dennis Whyte is insulting his audience.  The High Temperature Superconducting magnets might help.  The other two are just buzzwords to get funding.

[Marlin]

I worked at a fusion reactor, and I can tell you that 3d printing isn't going to help fusion, it isn't fixing any problems.  

   3D printing technology is improving continuously and his point was that it can be used on metals in complex shapes that cannot be machined, this would seem to be an improvement.

The special coolant, isn't special.  lithium fluoride (LiF) and beryllium fluoride (BeF2) have been around for a very long time.  

  FLiBe a combination of the two is what he was talking about.

  Fusion has been a jobs program for academics but I think there will be a tipping point at some time maybe not from existing programs, but these new advancements could be it. The sound barrier was an unbreakable limit at one time we now are building hypersonic aircraft.

  I agree with the money aspect of it but that applies to useful and useless government programs alike.

 

[Rennhack]

I agree with the money aspect of it but that applies to useful and useless government programs alike.

I never said it was useless.  'Someday' fusion will be great.  That someday, just probably won't be in our lifetimes, regardless of how many times we hear "just 10 more years".

[GLW]

Practical fusion is a nuncupatory power source totally outside of the current cycopede, due to its tardigradous development; pushed by constant babblement and hopeful illaqueation by fopdoodles..... and you can quote me on that.

[Marlin]

Practical fusion is a nuncupatory power source totally outside of the current cycopede, due to its tardigradous development; pushed by constant babblement and hopeful illaqueation by fopdoodles..... and you can quote me on that.

A statement so easy a caveman could use it and he would be using from the cave he would not leave.

[GLW]

A statement so easy a caveman could use it and he would be using from the cave he would not leave.

that is not a caveman, that is Robinson Crusoe,...

this is a caveman:



  "Big words make me angry!!"

[Marlin]

Fortunateness extant reveal an apropos technological mini-cinema.

Yup, I built a nuclear fusion reactor - Taylor Wilson

[GLW]

Fortunateness extant reveal an apropos technological mini-cinema.

Yup, I built a nuclear fusion reactor - Taylor Wilson

he built a fusor variation, 40+YO technology,...

energy in < energy out,...

I applaud him for not spending >4 billion dollars (ala LLNL NIF) to achieve the same results,...

fusion power reactor research is in it's 7th decade of research and application and is still stuck on first base,...

meanwhile our grandchildren get to pay off 20 trillion plus in debt,...

sometimes you need to consolidate your base of operations before you run helter skelter into the abyss,...

sometimes are these times,....

[Marlin]

he built a fusor variation, 40+YO technology,...

He built it at 14 years old   He says that he could not have done it ten years earlier because of the limitations of technology.   Back to the original topic of new technology affecting the outcome of Fusion research this would seem to show some promise. Glass half full or half empty or is too large for the application of containment... perspective, I choose optimism.