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Fusion reactors: Not what they're cracked up to be
- pinewurst 3y ago(2017)
- audunw 3y agoI’m convinced that thermal power plants in general are very problematic in the coming decades. I think you can ignore the insane challenges of maintaining the plasma itself and just consider the heat energy, the volumetric density of the power production, the challenges of building a good heat exchanger for fusion energy, and the problems with thermal steam turbine power plants in a warming climate with lots of renewable energy… and just from that conclude that thermal fusion power plants are just not viable. But there’s one interesting solution that avoids this problem entirely: Helions fusion reactor does not use heat exchange to extract electricity. They’re attempting to extract the electric energy directly from the plasma. If it’s work it could be the one path to viable fusion.
- krunck 3y agoHelion's idea is super exciting. The above article says: "In reactors with deuterium-only fueling (which is much more difficult to ignite than a deuterium-tritium mix), the neutron reaction product has five times lower energy and the neutron streams are substantially less damaging to structures. But the deleterious effects will still be ruinous on a longer time scale." So I suppose there is that issue, but far better than what a reactor using 3H would have. But as their reactor uses 3He also I wonder how that would affect neutron damage to the equipment.