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Related: About this forumNew Developments in Fusion: Polywells, ICF, Fusors, Pinches and Magnetized Target Fusion
Hello All,
For 2 months, I have been working on a review of new Fusion developments. This post covers:
1. Livermore (NIF) has failed to get Ignition. It has Killed the LIFE program.
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2. The Navy has published exciting new Polywell Research. It may be the world's best plasma trap.
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3. High school students in Seattle have won $410,000 in college scholarships studying nuclear fusion in a garage.
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4. Jeff Bezos has funded a Fusion Power Startup for 55 million - Dive into their technology!
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Fusion has changed! Check it out!
http://thepolywellblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/fusion-in-upheaval.html
Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)Is busy writing papers on quarks and colors at the moment.
gristy
(10,667 posts)If the writer knows as much about fusion as punctuation, I'm not optimistic.
freethought
(2,457 posts)Livermore NIF succeeded in fusion with net positive energy output. I recall reading the article on a BBC website. "Ignition" seemed to have a different definition and it was still a work in progress.
The Polywell Guy
(25 posts)Yes. NIF got more energy out than they put in. But they are only counting the X-rays on the target.
You follow the energy needed for a NIF shot, it looks something like this:
Energy Drawn By NIF, From Grid ---> Energy in Capacitors ---> Laser Light Energy ---> X-ray Energy on Target
You lose energy at each step. It is horribly inefficient. In reality, NIF is not close to net power. Nowhere near close.
Ignition (a fusion chain reaction) would have helped.
But ignition has been predicted at 1 KJ, 5 KJ, 10 KJ, 100 KJ, 200 KJ and 1.8 MJ - on each occasion the ICF community has failed.
We have been funding this for 40 years.
It's WAY past time for a change. Climate change is not waiting on this - and fusion could really help the human race.
We need to fund alternatives, starting now. Right now.