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Steam turbines are very good at what they do, so I don't think that's the problem. Turbines are well understood technology so they're they're the major impedim
by lupusreal 2y ago
Steam turbines are very good at what they do, so I don't think that's the problem. Turbines are well understood technology so they're they're the major impediment to economic viability then everything else must be working amazing.
I do think economic viability will be a major problem though. The fusion hype crowd focus on Q>1 being their major milestone but that's still a long way away from it being profitable to operate a fusion plant.
- nine_k 2y agoIIRC, a cascade of turbines, going from high-temperature water steam to basically room-temperature ammonia, can reach a total efficiency exceeding 50%. Of course, ammonia is chemically active, and water at 700K is also chemically active, so the turbines, as usual, require special metallurgy and regular maintenance.
- rgmerk 2y agoSure, but your cascade of turbines isn't free. The capital cost of just the turbines is enough to make it hard to compete with solar and batteries in many situations.
- rgmerk 2y agoTurbines are indeed very well understood and mature technology, and even where the fuel is almost free and the reactor (a coal burner) is cheap, steam turbines are too expensive to compete with solar electricity in most places now.