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NIF, remember, is funded by the DoD. It's not a civilian reactor research program: it's a device for testing fusion reactions in the lab now that the Comprehens
by cstross 5y ago
NIF, remember, is funded by the DoD. It's not a civilian reactor research program: it's a device for testing fusion reactions in the lab now that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty means that they're not allowed to test H-bombs out in Nevada.
This is not to say that it isn't fascinating and there won't be spin-off findings of use to the development of civil fusion reactors, but actual reactor research (e.g. JET, ITER, Wendelstein-7X) is all about magnetic containment for protracted periods (tens to thousands of seconds). And ITER, running on tritium and deuterium, is supposed to use 50 MW of heating power to create a plasma of 500 MW (thermal) for periods of 400 to 600 seconds. No need for a 500TW peak power input (actually much, much lower when you look at it in terms of megajoules delivered in a few nanoseconds).
- pxhb 5y ago>NIF, remember, is funded by the DoD. It's not a civilian reactor research program: it's a device for testing fusion reactions in the lab now that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty means that they're not allowed to test H-bombs out in Nevada. *DOE’. There is a quasi-separation of powers, where DOE ‘owns’ the weapons and the DOD ‘uses’ them. ‘See for example the NNSA.
- avs733 5y agoThe DOE is a fascinating organization btw…anyone who is so nonchalant about public oversight and security practices that the DOD gets angry at them has to be fun at parties.