Iran Plans to Build Nuclear Fusion Reactor

[Elmore Furth]

Source: Reuters

Iran said on Saturday it planned to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor, state television reported, at a time when the West is demanding that Tehran suspend sensitive nuclear work.

In 2006, Iran said it was pressing ahead with research tests on nuclear fusion, a type of atomic reaction which has yet to be developed for commercial power generation, but this was the first mention in years that the work was continuing.

"We need two years to complete the studies on constructing and then another 10 years to design and build the reactor," Asqar Sediqzadeh, head of Iran's Nuclear Fusion Research Center, told Iran's English-language Press TV.

The United States and its European allies suspect Iran is trying to build an atomic bomb, and have imposed sanctions on it in a drive to convince it to drop sensitive nuclear work. Tehran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/07/24/news/news-us-iran-nuclear-fusion.html?_r=1&ref=news

[DRoseDARs]

1. Iran really needs to stick to the nuclear fission power line. This has entered silly land.

Iran is many years from nuclear anything. Fusion power? Developed by Iran? In 10 years? Fucking really? Do they have any idea how many groups over how many years have already been working on this? One group is aiming for a demonstration plant by 2018 but you can fully expect that to get push backs measured in years.

[JDPriestly]

10. Faith, my dear. They no doubt muttered Inshallah under their

breath when they made this announcement. Can't find the sarcasm symbol.

Do they really think that God wants them to build this?

[jimlup]

2. It would be tremdously ironic if Iran succeeded in this endeavor

Not very likely, I agree, but ironic as hell.

[Dr.Phool]

3. Cold Fusion!

And they're secretly developing a perpetual motion machine to power bombers!

[DavidDvorkin]

4. So that's how they plan to put a man in space!

[Fearless]

5. Umm...

:wow:

[mike r]

6. Good luck with that

[reformist2]

7. More cat-and-mouse mind games.

It would be almost be funny, if the central issue weren't so serious.

[MilesColtrane]

8. Maybe they'll nuke themselves.

Israel won't have to bother.

[Drale]

9. BOOM!

So how long before there half assed attempts at nuclear fission blows up in there face and there crying to the rest of the world how they despertly need help?

[awoke_in_2003]

14. welcome to DU...

but they are claiming to go for fusion, not fission.

[struggle4progress]

11. I wish them well. Nobody else has succeeded so far

[hatrack]

12. Right-o!

Lots of luck with that net power-generating endeavor, guys!

[guyton]

13. stoning

I think they're planning on convicting the hydrogen of adultery and then stoning it to achieve the pressure and temperatures high enough for a sustained fusion reaction.

Of course the religious police will be on hand to ensure that any reporting of the results aren't tainted with blasphemous, um, facts.

[hunter]

15. Fusion is easy. Getting more energy out than you put in is difficult.

High school students have built fusion reactors.

FUSION IS NOT SPECIAL OR IMPOSSIBLE TO DO! You do not need a $200 million machine to do fusion. Accelerating high energy atoms of deuterium at one another to make fusion reactions is child's play. What's impossible is producing electricity from fusion reactions. I cannot do it, you cannot do it, the people with the $200 million machines cannot do it. The point of this page is to make a big deal out of how fusion really isn't a big deal.

http://brian-mcdermott.com/fusion_is_easy.htm

Iran has got a lot of smart people. Who knows? Maybe they figure it out first.

[boppers]

16. If they did do it, it would be a *huge* advance for humanity.

It certainly doesn't hurt much to have more people trying.

[eridani]

17. Yeah, right. Has anyone had any luck with that? n/t

[truthisfreedom]

18. Posturing.

Nothing more.

[daleo]

19. 30 years, minimum

It's always 30 years, minimum.

Same thing for artificial intelligence and cancer cures.