3 ms·
If I understand things correctly, the problem with magnetic confinement (e.g. Tokomaks, Stellarators) is that once you have heated a plasma such that it is "fus
by YossarianFrPrez 3y ago
If I understand things correctly, the problem with magnetic confinement (e.g. Tokomaks, Stellarators) is that once you have heated a plasma such that it is "fusing," how do you get the power out with out cooling the very plasma you've just spent a lot of energy heating up?
Helion, a fusion startup, claims to have solved this problem via capturing an induced current from colliding two hot plasmas together. I'd be curious if there is any way the Wendelstein can produce electricity.
- Tuna-Fish 3y agoMost fusion power systems assume they are doing that as neutrons. D-T fusion conveniently has the proportion of energy that gets lost from the plasma as KE of neutrons be pretty close to the amount of energy that a conveniently sized fusion reactor can afford to remove from the plasma. Then you trap the neutrons with, for example, a lithium blanket, use them to breed more tritium, and produce energy with a turbine from the heating of the blanket.
- YossarianFrPrez 3y agoAh, got ya. Thanks for the information.