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I saw a guy called Dennis Whyte from MIT give a shockingly bullish fusion presentation a few weeks ago. His view is that new superconductors make a compact (as
by sgt101 10y ago
I saw a guy called Dennis Whyte from MIT give a shockingly bullish fusion presentation a few weeks ago.
His view is that new superconductors make a compact (as in jet size) reactor that does better than break even and is operable feasible in five years.
He seemed to know his stuff
- drjesusphd 10y agoAs the head of one of the most advanced plasma physics labs in the world, I think it is safe to assume Prof. Whyte knows his stuff.
- zeristor 10y agoFrom the video it seemed to be down to the new students coming up with new ideas, and using new technology. DISRUPT!!!
- Intermernet 10y agoThis is one of the main goals of running these labs, and ideally the main goal of universities in general. Training new minds with the knowledge of the leaders in the fields. It's not disruption, it's evolution and progress.
- drjesusphd 10y agoToo late to edit. Grammar of my comment is ambiguous/incorrect: Dennis Whyte is the leader of said lab, not me ;).
- seiferteric 10y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkpqA8yG9T4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkpqA8yG9T4
- iaw 10y agoTen years ago I was in a set of lectures by one of the ITER consultants. There were a handful of challenges left (e.g. material degradation after long-term neutron bombardment) but it wasn't science fiction then. The only question was if they could get the funding to finish the last research hurdles.
- zeristor 10y agoI watched that video a few weeks ago. The main issue is that ITER is built and designed using legacy superconductors. Recent developments, and they're ongoing are allowing the designs to be reengineered. The new superconductors can work with a much higher magnetic flux. There was something about the efficiency of a reactor increasing with the fourth power of the magnetic flux (B^4). And as I said they're still making improvements to superconductors. Another idea used is FLiBe salt as a coolant. One of the issues with Fusion reactors is that most metals can't withstand the neutron flux. Using a molten salt blanket solves that problem, along with the idea of changing out the insides periodically. Nuclear Fusion isn't my thing so I may be off of the mark.
- ufmace 10y agoNow that's very interesting. The main thing I've wondered about fusion - given the huge size and expense of the ITER reactor, even if they get power-positive, will they ever be able to build and run reactors cheap enough to be competitive with conventional power production, and keep them running for decades?
- sandstrom 10y agoThe first solar-cell or coal-power plant probably wasn't cost-competitive either. ITER is more like a horribly expensive experience, but a worthwhile one in my opinion.
- motoboi 10y agoITER is mostly a let's-get-this-thing-started than a economically viable reactor. ITER forced development is areas direct related to the reactor, as magnets and construction techniques.
- sgt101 10y agoI think everyone agrees that ITER as a science platform is fantastic.
- alan-crowe 10y ago
- midnightcontra 10y agoDid he mention using a stellarator as oppose to a tokamak? Apparently computer modeling makes a stellarator more feasible and I was wondering if using superconducting materials would make it even more so
- xorxornop 10y agoStellarator designs already use superconducting electromagnets. The newer kind are just a lot more powerful and versatile.
- sgt101 10y agoHe said that they were watching what was happening with the stellarator design in germany and if it proved out they'd use that rather than a tokamak.
- sgt101 10y agoHe said that they were watching what was happening with the stellarator design in germany and if it proved out they'd use that rather than a tokamak.
- jdietrich 10y agoStellarators have become easier to design, but they're still a complete pain in the arse to build. Wendelstein 7-X was nine years behind schedule and significantly over-budget, mainly due to unforeseen problems in assembling the coils. The National Compact Stellerator Experiment was abandoned in 2008, again due to construction delays. For stellerators to become viable, we need some major advances in manufacturing technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendelstein_7-X https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendelstein_7-X https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Compact_Stellarator_Experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Compact_Stellarator_E...
- Roritharr 10y agoBut isn't simpler coil assembly what Mr. Whyte proposes? New Superconductors allow for simpler and more powerful coils, allowing smaller, cheaper designs. That should translate to the Stellarator configuration equally well, or am I wrong?
- tonyedgecombe 10y agoThere is a private company close to me [1] that are working in this area and are also very bullish, I went to a talk there a couple of months ago and they said much the same, five to ten years. [1] http://www.tokamakenergy.co.uk/ http://www.tokamakenergy.co.uk/
- hyperbovine 10y agoCan you possibly imagine them saying something else?
- Digit-Al 10y agoBig breakthroughs are always "five to ten years away" :-)
- woodandsteel 10y agoIf this works, it would sure be good for the environment.
- chillydawg 10y agoImagine all the wars when the oil money vanishes from the middle east.
- rwmj 10y agoI'm having difficulty. Wouldn't it mostly go back to being a poor desert region?
- techdragon 10y agoAnd how many of them will be "happy" about that socioeconomic change?
- slv77 10y agoOr the largest refugee crisis since the sea people.
- visarga 10y agoIt it becomes very cheap, it could change industry.
- dexterdog 10y agoCould?