Posted on 10/08/2013 6:23:05 AM PDT by Red Badger
Researchers at a US lab have passed a crucial milestone on the way to their ultimate goal of achieving self-sustaining nuclear fusion.
Harnessing fusion - the process that powers the Sun - could provide an unlimited and cheap source of energy.
But to be viable, fusion power plants would have to produce more energy than they consume, which has proven elusive.
Now, a breakthrough by scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) could boost hopes of scaling up fusion.
NIF, based at Livermore in California, uses 192 beams from the world's most powerful laser to heat and compress a small pellet of hydrogen fuel to the point where nuclear fusion reactions take place.
The BBC understands that during an experiment in late September, the amount of energy released through the fusion reaction exceeded the amount of energy being absorbed by the fuel - the first time this had been achieved at any fusion facility in the world.
This is a step short of the lab's stated goal of "ignition", where nuclear fusion generates as much energy as the lasers supply. This is because known "inefficiencies" in different parts of the system mean not all the energy supplied through the laser is delivered to the fuel.
But the latest achievement has been described as the single most meaningful step for fusion in recent years, and demonstrates NIF is well on its way towards the coveted target of ignition and self-sustaining fusion.
For half a century, researchers have strived for controlled nuclear fusion and been disappointed. It was hoped that NIF would provide the breakthrough fusion research needed.
In 2009, NIF officials announced an aim to demonstrate nuclear fusion producing net energy by 30 September 2012. But unexpected technical problems ensured the deadline came and went;
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Then look upon it as a jobs program. But for the over 55 out of work crowd retraining as a nuclear scientist is probably out of the question.
I haven’t seen anyone carrying a sign, “Will fuse for food”.
As long as you confine your attention span solely to Andrea Rossi, yes. But only a monomaniacal idiot would do that. LENR has many more practitioners than AR, and the scientific data produced by those practicioners provides the necessary proof. But then, you haven't bothered to look at any of THAT evidence, have you??
Oh, and I'm still waiting for you to tell me what "game" all those other scientists are playing.
And I’m still waiting for a working device from all this “proof” and world changing paradigms.
The words “somewhere over the rainbow” keep coming to mind.
Fascinating stuff - thanks for posting!!
My 1980 Master’s paper was on “Fusion by Laser Implosion”, based on research at Lawrence Livermore Lab.
Hope they keep quiet on any success over the next 3 years or this Energy hating administration will shut them down again.
Science has a way of making it into the knowledge base of every lab on earth eventually. The interwebs make it even faster.............
I am not a physicist, I just play one on TV. Ok, I get that the energy released is greater than the energy input. However, the energy released, which I assume is heat, must be converted to electrical energy. To make electricity from heat a steam turbine is used. This type energy transfer mechanics is only 37% efficient. So unless the energy output is well over 3:1, fusion energy is still a long ways away.
Not to mention other systemic losses due to resistance, friction, taxes and globull warming.................
Of course.
I was simply make the point that this adminstation doesn’t really want any true solutions to our energy needs.
These people hate population growth, industrial growty, economic growth, either here or in the third world.
Obama has made startling statements about supressing development in Africa.
Define "working device". Tell me where the goal posts are. Oh, that's right, they keep moving, don't they.
"The words “somewhere over the rainbow” keep coming to mind."
Only to a "man of constant snarkiness" such as yourself.
He must hate Africans..................
A Man of Constant Snarkiness is one of my fave bluegrass tunes. But besides that, gotta love a guy who thinks quantum mechanics has produced zero “working devices” - I’d assume he was Amish, if’n he wasn’t posting on the net....
On another subject, what is the current news status of Rossi's antics?
Why do I hear faint echoes of sea-bird cries when I read those words? '-)
The amount of energy needed to contain a fusion reaction must be derived from the reaction itself. That is the next step they have not engineered. The containment for reactions today require outside power and we cannot generate enough energy to contain a fusion reaction but for a brief moment.
Until a factory, an office, a house, an “out” house, a dog house is heated or has hot water provided by cold fusion it’s a lab experiment, a curious one and as I’ve said, It should be explored to find out what is really happening.
But save the attempts at petty personal insults, “Only to a “man of constant snarkiness” such as yourself.”, they fail.
The NIF does nuclear weapons research. These stories coming from them about power production are dishonest.
If the zillions of dollars spent on this boondoggle had gone to investigating the work of electrical wizard Nikola Tesla, this planet would not have an energy crisis.
Jed Rothwell's LENR-CARN.org website. If it has been published, and copyright allows it, it will be there, either in abstract or full paper.
He also reports "major news". Best unfiltered source is the vortex-l mail site.
"On another subject, what is the current news status of Rossi's antics?"
Not much on the science side. Latest is that he was visiting Sweden where one of his devices is either under test or about to begin a test.
Now, now. References to oceanic avians not permitted......
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