Compact Fusion Reactor

EXSSBN2005

New Member
Sorry for not relpying sooner but my email got hacked / locked out and I only reciently got it back after scrolling thru 3200+ messages i finally got back to Nov messages. No I don't work at Ludington but on the other side of the state, just consumers owns ludington and it was probably snowing there but it wasn't here yet as of Nov 2 lol, snows all gone now.
 

RobWilliams

Super Moderator
Staff member
That's what the ITER project in France is doing IIRC, I'm really looking forward to see that technology progress.
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
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  • #46
That's what the ITER project in France is doing IIRC, I'm really looking forward to see that technology progress.
The ARC design is similar to the ITER but takes advantage of new superconductor materials that should increase its output and allows it to be smaller.....like all other fusion concepts, I will just have to wait and see. Hopefully, one of them will get us the fusion age, the realistic "green" energy.
 

barney41

Member
Wouldn't it be great if those big multinational programs get beaten to the fusion holy grail by some small private enterprise like Tri Allha Energy? The small company is boldly pursuing a different and seemingly more technically challenging approach to achieving fusion but one which offers significant benefits.
https://youtu.be/tm6hpqFtxEk
Exclusive: Secretive fusion company claims reactor breakthrough | Science/AAAS | News

Exclusive: Secretive fusion company claims reactor breakthrough


OOTHILL RANCH, CALIFORNIA—In a suburban industrial park south of Los Angeles, researchers have taken a significant step toward mastering nuclear fusion—a process that could provide abundant, cheap, and clean energy. A privately funded company called Tri Alpha Energy has built a machine that forms a ball of superheated gas—at about 10 million degrees Celsius—and holds it steady for 5 milliseconds without decaying away. That may seem a mere blink of an eye, but it is far longer than other efforts with the technique and shows for the first time that it is possible to hold the gas in a steady state—the researchers stopped only when their machine ran out of juice.

“They’ve succeeded finally in achieving a lifetime limited only by the power available to the system,” says particle physicist Burton Richter of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, who sits on a board of advisers to Tri Alpha. If the company’s scientists can scale the technique up to longer times and higher temperatures, they will reach a stage at which atomic nuclei in the gas collide forcefully enough to fuse together, releasing energy.

More at the jump.
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #48
Wouldn't it be great if those big multinational programs get beaten to the fusion holy grail by some small private enterprise like Tri Allha Energy? The small company is boldly pursuing a different and seemingly more technically challenging approach to achieving fusion but one which offers significant benefits.
https://youtu.be/tm6hpqFtxEk
Exclusive: Secretive fusion company claims reactor breakthrough | Science/AAAS | News

Exclusive: Secretive fusion company claims reactor breakthrough


OOTHILL RANCH, CALIFORNIA—In a suburban industrial park south of Los Angeles, researchers have taken a significant step toward mastering nuclear fusion—a process that could provide abundant, cheap, and clean energy. A privately funded company called Tri Alpha Energy has built a machine that forms a ball of superheated gas—at about 10 million degrees Celsius—and holds it steady for 5 milliseconds without decaying away. That may seem a mere blink of an eye, but it is far longer than other efforts with the technique and shows for the first time that it is possible to hold the gas in a steady state—the researchers stopped only when their machine ran out of juice.

“They’ve succeeded finally in achieving a lifetime limited only by the power available to the system,” says particle physicist Burton Richter of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, who sits on a board of advisers to Tri Alpha. If the company’s scientists can scale the technique up to longer times and higher temperatures, they will reach a stage at which atomic nuclei in the gas collide forcefully enough to fuse together, releasing energy.

More at the jump.
Interesting approach and one has to be impressed with the "in the garage size" scale of this company. The 3 billion degree cook temperature for the Hydrogen- Boron fusion does seem to be a bridge too far though.
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
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Just had a quick glance at the Time Magazine article on fusion. Interesting info about smaller private sector fusion companies making some inroads. Hopefully something develops soon.:)
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
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Well I would hold off on the stock buy if you are banking on a CFR until a working prototype arrives. The lead researcher said back in 2014 he expected one in 5 years so he has one more year. As with all fusion stories, great expections that just seem to fade away. Note the article's line on making patent applications involving national security secret. Apparently the US government didn't think this patent was worth the secret classification. Clearly this device, if workable, should be protected as it would have far reaching consequences for national defence. In any event, still hope it actually works.:D
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
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  • #53
Apparently a naval researcher has improved the LM compact fusion reactor (CFR) design and the USN has applied for a patent. The link also mentions some other fusion projects. I think it has been at least 5 years since the CFR story came out and it is just as theoretical now as it was then, something it shares with all other programs. Certainly hope this results in something useable but I am not holding my breath.

A Breakthrough In American Energy Dominance? U.S. Navy Patents Compact Fusion Reactor
 

Massive

Well-Known Member
Certainly hope this results in something useable but I am not holding my breath.
I suspect that this will follow the path of most technological breakthroughs.

It will always be 20 years away until, very suddenly, it is not.

Momentum is clearly building with a lot of new entrants and it is increasingly looking like an engineering problem as opposed to a science problem. Humans are good at engineering problems.

Exciting times.

Regards,

Massive
 

Alberto32

Member
That's interesting. Wonder how they will get around the NZ Nuclear Legislation.
I guess that since it's not a fission reactor, and that Victoria University of Wellington is working with them, that they managed to get past the NZ Nuclear legislation. It's probably got potential to be another Rocket Lab if successful.

A publicly funded university working with a start up, would have to have it's legal team work through the nuclear legislation. I'm order to be placing staff, and possibly students within such a project. I say good for them, hell I'd like to see a joint collaboration with Australia on it's quest for it's version of the quantum computer.
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
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  • #59
I guess that since it's not a fission reactor, and that Victoria University of Wellington is working with them, that they managed to get past the NZ Nuclear legislation. It's probably got potential to be another Rocket Lab if successful.

A publicly funded university working with a start up, would have to have it's legal team work through the nuclear legislation. I'm order to be placing staff, and possibly students within such a project. I say good for them, hell I'd like to see a joint collaboration with Australia on it's quest for it's version of the quantum computer.
Probably a big yawn just like the other compact fusion reactor that LM was hyping at the middle of the last decade. Little news about lately about it and IIRC LM’s device should have in demonstration mode by now. Quantum computers will be a reality before CFRs. The R&D funding for quantum research is likely accelerating at a faster rate than fusion now (at least in China and the US).
 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
Probably a big yawn just like the other compact fusion reactor that LM was hyping at the middle of the last decade. Little news about lately about it and IIRC LM’s device should have in demonstration mode by now. Quantum computers will be a reality before CFRs. The R&D funding for quantum research is likely accelerating at a faster rate than fusion now (at least in China and the US).
I don't know. All we require now to get it to work is the flux capacitor and a secure supply of dilithium crystals.
 
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