Uncle Sam plows $42M into nurturing fusion breakthrough
- Reference: 1702056487
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/12/08/nuclear_fusion_research_funding/
- Source link:
The [1]institution claimed a world-first in December 2022 when it produced 3.15 megajoules of fusion energy as output, exceeding the 2.05 megajoules delivered by the 192 lasers that kick-started the nuclear fusion reaction. The experiment was [2]repeated in August this year.
The most recent experiment achieved a higher energy yield than the earlier breakthrough, the institution said.
[3]
The lab's National Ignition Facility (NIF) relies on laser fusion – as opposed to the magnetic confinement fusion approach used elsewhere – whereby 192 lasers focus on a cylindrical container or hohlraum. This tiny jar converts laser energy into X-rays to heat a tiny plasma capsule at its center. The capsule's high-density carbon (diamond) walls are 80 μm thick and house the nuclear fuel, a mixture of hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium.
[4]
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The work is seen as a significant experimental breakthrough, but not one that would lead directly to the practical and commercial introduction of nuclear fusion to the world's energy supply chain, which needs to end its reliance on fossil fuels owing to their contribution to potentially devastating climate change.
The DoE money will be split between researchers at Colorado State University, the University of Rochester, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
[6]
Supported by the DoE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), the funding aims to boost a broad range of laser-based inertial fusion approaches. The research effort will be "focused more on the underlying technologies needed for any inertial fusion system," Scott Hsu, lead fusion coordinator at the Department of Energy, told the New York Times. To begin to consider the NIF technique as a practical energy source, it would need more powerful, reliable, and efficient lasers. Target hydrogen fuel would also need to be cheaper.
[7]World's largest nuclear fusion reactor comes online in Japan
[8]NTT adapts AI network analysis tool to detect faults in nuclear fusion reactors
[9]US shovels cash into supercomputers hoping to stoke fusion future
[10]Lawrence Livermore lab repeats fusion breakthrough – yep, still kinda works
For example, the University of Rochester hub aims to test a new laser that would fire directly on the hydrogen fuel rather than rely on intermediary X-rays, as with the most recent experiment. But the technology is temperamental and the smallest variation in laser light can destabilize the fusion reaction. Scientists hope to figure out how spreading the laser across a range of wavelengths might help results.
"Harnessing fusion energy is one of the greatest scientific and technological challenges of the 21st century," said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in a statement. "We now have the confidence that it's not only possible, but probable, that fusion energy can be a reality. The scientists in these hubs will be the vanguard of game-changing and planet-saving breakthroughs."
Others have doubted whether nuclear fusion can be developed as a practical energy source to help transition away from fossil fuels.
Last year, [11]experts speaking to the UK's Parliament detailed how fusion might one day be a feasible power source, but it was unlikely to come online in the time frame necessary to help the fight against climate change. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/14/nuclear_fusion_doe/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/07/lab_repeats_fusion_breakthrough/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZXOgH0qbFW7CAMqLeDNRjwAAAJQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZXOgH0qbFW7CAMqLeDNRjwAAAJQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/04/jt_60sa_tokamak_online/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/23/ntt_ai_nuclear_fusion_control/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/15/us_shovels_more_cash_into/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/07/lab_repeats_fusion_breakthrough/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/31/fusion_no_answer_to_climate/
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Nuclear weapons research
It's a bit early to attach any sort of steam generator to a highly complex prototype fusion system, wouldn't you say?
Why go through the bother when one is still trying to get the process to work in the first place?
What if they use heavy oil instead?
How about using "Heavy Oil"?
Using a similar concept, use of "heavy oil" (i.e. oil using deuterium and tritium rather than mono-atomic hydrogen) formed into droplets by an "ink jet" type of mechanism might accomplish the same thing but for steady state operation. Just sayin'. But gummint funding does not seek practical+inexpensive solutions...
[first scientist that acknowledges my brilliance gets to make a working fusion reactor with 'heavy oil' for fuel)
Re: What if they use heavy oil instead?
The target is fuel contained within a hohlraum. During ICF, the inner walls of the hohlraum are hit with the laser, which then generates X-rays that crush the fuel itself. Potentially, laminar flow could be used to encapsulate the fuel within the driving material but it doesn't seem like it would be terribly easy to then form it into a hollow tube which doesn't collapse (unless a third liquid could be injected to hold the shape, though this would have to not interact with any of the involved radiation).
Drop in the bucket
I expect the US military loses track of more than $42mn/day given the figures from recent audits.
Re: Drop in the bucket
The same the world over. In Britain, our civilian administrators of defence outnumber our army, our weapons procurement is always many years late, costs billions over budget, and delivers an inferior product.
If the major world powers spent a tenth of the money wasted on weapons development on proper energy related R&D, we'd have solved the energy problem decades ago.
Re: Drop in the bucket
But really, this is good for the world.
Making the military cheaper, more efficient and cost-effective, is not going end up better for anyone.
Ineptitude for Peace!
Really???
> which needs to end its reliance on fossil fuels owing to their contribution to potentially devastating climate change.
Assertion unsupported by facts.
I can get power from fusion now.
Just set up a few solar panels ;-)
Simples.
Nuclear weapons research
Thunderf00t already “busted” the idea that this research has anything to do with power generation. It’s actually nothing but weapons research.
(For example: to “harness” the heat energy you’d have to incorporate a steam generator, or some kind of thermal capture apparatus, and they don’t have the room in between all those super laser beams.)
Sabine Hossenfelder goes further into competing technologies, but even the most likely candidates use severely esoteric, sketchy techniques. Probably all 100% of this research space isn’t being commercialized in the next 50 years…
(It’s a wonder Musk isn’t mixed up in this too, if he were then we’d know for certain it’s just an elaborate scam.)