Sunday, June 24, 2012

Nuclear Fusion

In 1898, the U.S. government funded an expensive project to build the first successful flyer. Sam Langley was given $1.3 million (2012 dollars), with which he hired a large staff, purchased all manner of supporting equipment, and built a large four-winged flyer. In 1903, Langley's project attempted two test flights. Both failed miserably. The public wasn't surprised. Flight was "thirty years away, and always would be." Nine days later, two bicycle mechanics made the first successful powered flight. Their total expenditure, in 2012 dollars, was $25,400. Our own Kitty Hawk moment may be closer than we think.

HOW FAR AWAY IS FUSION?

Good synopsis of Nuclear Fusion
Interstellar Travel
Recycling Used Nuclear Fission Fuel
Fission Fuel
Canada could be a world leader in nuclear fusion by 2030
German scientists successfully used the 16-meter Wendelstein 7-X machine
What is LENR? Low Energy Nuclear Reactions
United Kingdom - Going with a small Fusion plant?
Lockhead Martin’s Skunk Works
Why nuclear fusion will soon become reality
Mining the Moon
Scientists are reporting a significant advance in the quest to develop an alternative approach to nuclear fusion
Y Combinator Power Up Nuclear-Fusion
Scientists are closer to Nuclear Fusion
Where our Current Power comes from
  • Oil
  • Natural Gas
  • Fission
The Future Clean Energy Power
  • Fusion
  • Solar
  • Wind
  • Water
What is Fusion?
  • Powers the Sun and Stars
  • In Fusion, two atoms of the same lightweight element, usually an isotope of hydrogen, fuse into a single atom of helium; rather than than splitting apart huge nuclei like uranium which takes place in Fission.
  • With Fusion there is no chance of a meltdown and relatively little radioactive waste. Radioactive waste is the most serious side effect of Fission
  • Gives off lot of energy, more than nuclear Fission
  • Carbon Free Clean energy, unlike oil or natural gas
  • Inexhaustible
  • 24 by 7, rain or shine
  • Fusion plants are no larger than existing fossil fuel plants
  • February 27th, 2014: GLaDOS explains nuclear fusion for NASA
Why is this important to me?
    Current Power
  • Limited Resource
  • Harmful to the environment
  • Even with solar, wind, biofuels, carbon capture, the use of oil is not going down because we are going to keep increasing how much energy we use
  • Fission creates high-level radioactive waste for hundreds of thousands of years
    • Fusion
  • Limitless - Supply of fuel can last longer than the sun - The deuterium extracted from 10 gallons of water would weigh about a tenth of an ounce and could supply enough electricity to last an average U.S. consumer for about 15 years.
  • Clean - Carbon Free
  • 24/7 - It does not matter whether the sun is out or rain clouds are overhead
  • Creates lot of Energy
  • Two very small nuclei are fused together instead of splitting large atoms like uranium or plutonium
  • Only a maximum of 100 years of Radioactive waste, rather than what fission puts out with a half-life up to 15 million years
  • August 8th, 2013: Fukushima Reinforces Worst Fears for Japanese Who Are Anti-Nuclear Power
  • September 6th, 2013: Fukushima’s Impact on Nuclear Energy
  • You don’t have to feel bad about using energy anymore
The future of fusion energy
Why has it taken so long?
  • Building a fusion reactor is probably the most difficult problem that humanity has set out to solve so far.
  • Remember how magnets repel each other? Atomic Nuclei do much the same thing, only greater. This is the coulomb force which has to be overcome; the repulsive force between two nuclei. That has been the biggest problem to getting Fusion going.
  • Most techniques use ‘plasma’ heating to get the individual atoms to collide.
  • But recently what the Americans are doing with lasers holds great promise.
  • Now it seems everybody in the world is trying to get fusion going.
When will it be here?
  • The easy joke is that fusion energy is the power source of the future and always will be! But with all the potential good coming out of Nuclear Fusion, as opposed to Nuclear Fission, there are a lot of organizations working on it.

Here are just a few of them:
  • February 12, 2014 - Giant Laser Complex Makes Fusion Advance, Finally
  • In October 2013, "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 big news, the latest experiments agree well with predictions of energy output, which will provide a welcome boost to ignition research at NIF, as well as encouragement to advocates of fusion energy in general ... National Ignition Facility - Nuclear fusion milestone passed at US lab...
  • On March 15, 2012, the NIF's array of 192 lasers fired a pulse of energy that generated 411 trillion watts of peak power - 1,000 times more than whole of the United States uses at any one moment. The total energy created as the pulse was generated, was calculated to be 2.03 million joules, making the NIF the most powerful laser – about 100 times more powerful than any other laser in existence.
  • In the first week of July in 2012, the NIF's 192 lasers shot a pulse of 500 trillion watt (500 terawatt) onto a tiny target which holds the hydrogen fuel capsule, which must be compressed to about 100 times the density of lead.
  • In October 2012: we are still waiting on nuclear fusion from the National Ignition Facility
  • December 1012: Laser fusion put on slow burn
  • February 2013: External review reaffirms hurdles for nuclear fusion superlaser
  • February 2013: Giant laser needs a revamp to achieve nuclear fusion
  • June 2016: NIF may never ignite, DOE admits
    • ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) - Still just a test
  • December 13th, 2013: Construction starts of Iter Tokamak complex
  • October 15th, 2013: ITER keeps eye on prize
  • July 28th, 2013: Can the stars' power be harnessed on Earth?
  • April 25th, 2013: ITER nuclear fusion reactor design receives approval
  • August 27th, 2013: Overhead costs of fusion power plants can be reduced by planning reactor maintenance and structure together
  • April 16th, 2013: The ITER Project: International Collaboration to Demonstrate Nuclear Fusion
  • March 6th, 2013: Nuclear Fusion: Harnessing the Power of Stars
  • March 12th, 2013: Nuclear fusion is the 'perfect energy source'
  • July 25th, 2013: Star power: the Irish role in a French nuclear reactor
    • Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico
  • December 30th, 2013: Triple-threat method sparks hope for fusion
    • General Fusion
  • January 2nd, 2004: Where Are They Now? General Fusion gets closer to the sun
  • July 31st, 2009: Low-budget fusion power plant could be on the way
    • Cold Fusion
  • January 24th, 2015: Do not forget the ‘other’ nuclear
  • November 28th, 2013: COLD FUSION generator goes on sale for $US1.5m
  • August 19th, 2013: Cold Fusion Energy Is Not Just Science Fiction Anymore
    • Chinese - More than 400 seconds
  • November 17th, 2018: China's 'artificial sun' was briefly the hottest spot in our solar system
  • December 27th, 2017: Chinese cities vie to harness the energy that powers the sun
  • January 14th, 2015: China sets to harvest Helium-3 on the surface of the Moon
  • January 14th, 2015: Helium-3 – China Intends To Strip Mine The Moon To Solve World’s Energy Problems
  • July 13th, 2012: China - Controlled nuclear fusion experimental device was a major breakthrough leads the world
    • India - meeting any future energy requirements
  • June 11th, 2013: Nuclear Fusion To Meet India's Electricity Requirements
    • Mars - Humankinds second home
  • Feburary 3rd, 2015: Is the future of space NUCLEAR?
  • October 7th, 2013: Quick Fusion-Powered Trips to Mars No Fantasy, Scientists Say
  • April 17th, 2013: Missions to Mars and Nuclear Fusion
  • April 11th, 2013: Fusion Rocket Able To Go To Mars & Back In 30 Days Could Be Key To Deep Space Travel
  • June 13th, 2013: Nuclear fusion rockets may be key to exploring deep space
    • U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
  • March 22nd, 2013: NRL Nike Laser Focuses on Nuclear Fusion
    • Russian Rusnano Group
  • March 14th, 2013: Russian Rusnano Group to invest in groundbreaking nuclear fusion project
    • And the other side of Nuclear Fusion

    Economics:

    Nuclear Fission from Thorium:
    Conclusion
    It was my goal today to introduce you to Fusion power. I am sure once we get Fusion going we are not going to have to worry about power anymore. But I'm sure we are going to have to vote on building new plants for fusion use.

    My hope today is that you now know something about Fusion and are in favor of it.

    More funding needed - The world spends $7.5 trillion on energy, but roughly $15 billion on public sector energy-related research every year. That is about 0.2% of sales, which is a very small sum, and much of this goes on routes to energy conservation, renewables and private sector research subsidies, in the shape of tax rebates. To get an idea, British Petroleum set aside $20 billion to cover the cost of the Gulf spill.

    Now here's what happening in nuclear fusion today:
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    Location: Sacramento, CA, USA
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