Sustainable nuclear fusion breakthrough raises hopes for ultimate green energy

The Guardian ^ | 02/13/2014 | Ian Sample

[SeekAndFind]

US researchers have achieved a world first in an ambitious experiment that aims to recreate the conditions at the heart of the sun and pave the way for nuclear fusion reactors.

The scientists generated more energy from fusion reactions than they put into the nuclear fuel, in a small but crucial step along the road to harnessing fusion power. The ultimate goal – to produce more energy than the whole experiment consumes – remains a long way off, but the feat has nonetheless raised hopes that after decades of setbacks, firm progress is finally being made.

Fusion energy has the potential to become a radical alternative power source, with zero carbon emissions during operation and minimal waste, but the technical difficulties in demonstrating fusion in the lab have so far proved overwhelming. While existing nuclear reactors generate energy by splitting atoms into lighter particles, fusion reactors combine light atomic nuclei into heavier particles.

In their experiments, researchers at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California use a bank of 192 powerful lasers to crush a minuscule amount of fuel so hard and fast that it becomes hotter than the sun.

[Marko413]

It is probably still a long ways off, but I gladly welcome sustainable fusion. I don’t know why we invest so much in wind. It costs too much for what you get back. Solar has gotten better, but it’s mostly useful on a small scale like an individual home or subsidizing a larger building.

The best option for large scale power in the future is fusion. If I were POTUS, I wouldn’t dump billions into wind and solar, I’d put it towards fusion research.

[Jonty30]

I hear KFC is a major sponsor of wind power. They get all that free, “chicken” to sell to customers.

[Ed Condon]

The Plasma Science & Fusion Center at MIT lists 31 sites where fusion research is being done.

[Wonder Warthog]

"It is probably still a long ways off, but I gladly welcome sustainable fusion."

The probability of this approach ever providing a usable power plant is zilch. Gigantically complex, gigantically expensive, gigantically fragile. There are FAR better concepts being tried.

This thing is basically a test bed for subsidizing laser research, not a usable power approach.

[Two Kids' Dad]

So if they’re combining light atomic nuclei into heavier particles does that mean they can keep creating heavier particles until they’re making gold and platinum and such? Or is that a completely different thing?

[skinkinthegrass]

thanks for the post.
sci. ping

[Moonman62]

This thing is basically a test bed for subsidizing laser research, not a usable power approach.

I'm pretty sure the sole purpose of the NIF is to do nuclear weapons research. These press releases about power production are misleading.

[Organic Panic]

Lieberal progressive tree huggers will NEVER allow fusion to happen. They will find something, anything, wrong with it endangering the poor little three speckled Hydrogen atom and must shut it down. Did the Hydrogen ASK to be converted to helium? No, I didn’t think so.

What do we want?

ELECTRON JUSTICE

When do we want it?

NOW

[TexasFreeper2009]

we are creating a sun.... what could POSSIBLY go wrong!

*sigh*

I honestly think we are doomed as a species.

[lbryce]

Still, the hindrances to creating a viable fusion reactor are daunting and wont be seeing any fusion reactors powering up the world maybe not in our lifetimes.

If they only stuck with the Cold Fusion thing instead of deriding it, we'd be going to those perfect carbon copies of Earth they discover every day at light speed, have flying jet packs and Star Trek like transporter technology.

[Noamie]

“So if they’re combining light atomic nuclei into heavier particles does that mean they can keep creating heavier particles until they’re making gold and platinum and such? Or is that a completely different thing?”

Are you.... referring to... alchemy, my friend?

/rubs hands together

[null and void]

Yep. It’s a standard industrial process in the semiconductor industry.

[DoughtyOne]

Here we go again.  Folks, how many times do FReepers have to tell you, it's impossible to get more energy out of these projects than you put in.  /s

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[Kevmo]

These press releases about power production are misleading.
***In other words, it is a huge multi$billion SCAM. The cold fusion guys could learn a thing or two from these scam artists.

[Kevmo]

If they only stuck with the Cold Fusion thing instead of deriding it, we’d ... have flying jet packs
***True dat.

Cold Fusion is 25 ORDERS of MAGNITUDE more bang for the buck than Controlled Hot Fusion (CHF).

—————————www.mail-archive.com/vortex-l@eskimo.com/msg90393.html————————

[Kevmo]

Sustainable????? 1 Billionth of a second is Sustainable?
The chances of measurement error are VERY HIGH.

To quote another skeptic...

As a skeptic I demand that another independent group of scientists replicate
the results. How do we know that the input power required to run the lasers
is accurately measured? The list of possible errors is a mile long for an
experiment this complicated.

Why do the physicists accept this data as being accurate and true when it is
nearly impossible to get them to believe in any LENR evidence? The way they
deny LENR is unprecedented in science. At least I hope so.

[Toddsterpatriot]

So if they’re combining light atomic nuclei into heavier particles does that mean they can keep creating heavier particles until they’re making gold and platinum and such?

Sure. But when you get heavier than iron, you absorb rather than release energy.

Another reason I'm skeptical of nickel-hydrogen "cold fusion".

[CapnJack]

"The scientists generated more energy from fusion reactions than they put into the nuclear fuel, in a small but crucial step along the road to harnessing fusion power. The ultimate goal – to produce more energy than the whole experiment consumes –"

Am I missing something here? Did they break the Law of Conservation?

The law of conservation of energy. This states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed. However, energy can change forms, and energy can flow from one place to another. The total energy of an isolated system does not change.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Did they break the Law of Conservation?

No. The fusion reaction released more energy than the lasers consumed.