Nuclear Fusion

[Flyaway]

Helion have signed a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, building a plant in Washington State. Delivery in 2028 with a one year ramp-up to 50MW

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/10/mic...er-from-sam-altman-backed-helion-in-2028.html

 

[Forest Green]

Helion have signed a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, building a plant in Washington State. Delivery in 2028 with a one year ramp-up to 50MW

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/10/mic...er-from-sam-altman-backed-helion-in-2028.html

Errmm, okay.

Almost same name as Helios (For All Mankind series).

 

[Flyaway]

U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday.

Scientists at the California-based lab repeated the fusion ignition breakthrough in an experiment in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on July 30 that produced a higher energy yield than in December, a Lawrence Livermore spokesperson said.

US scientists repeat fusion ignition breakthrough for 2nd time

U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Forest Green]

Technically a lie. They achieved a plasma Q over >1, but factoring in the efficiency of the laser net Q is way less than 1.

 

[Desertfox]

Only because they are using highly inefficient research lasers from the 80's. This is a research lab not an operational plant, and their focus isn't an operational power plant. They did their job showing it works, now its up to someone else to commercialize it.

 

[Forest Green]

Only because they are using highly inefficient research lasers from the 80's. This is a research lab not an operational plant, and their focus isn't an operational power plant. They did their job showing it works, now its up to someone else to commercialize it.

Maybe. They're getting about 1.55x out (3.15MJ) what they put in (2.05MJ), so it would need a laser that's at least 66% efficient, even after frequency multiplication to 351nm and Q-switching, which is a big ask. Currently, the record is held by diode lasers at 65% with fibre lasers down at ~50% and that doesn't include getting it to the correct wavelength for fusion, or making it into a pulse. So, we're not there yet. I think someone said that they need to get to 6-8MJ out for 2MJ in, then we'll be there.

 

[Desertfox]

Of course not, this is basically the third 1903 Wright Brothers flight. It'll take a bit to go from there to say 1919 KLM.

 

[publiusr]

Protective layers looked at

Elucidating the mechanism of protective layers on fusion reactors that resist peeling

Fusion reactors, fast breeder reactors, and solar thermal power plants are being developed as power plants with low environmental impact and no resource constraints. Since these power plants operate at high temperature with large-heat transfer, scientists are studying the use of components that...

phys.org

 

[publiusr]

Fusion news

A look inside the sun's fire: New measurements point at slower burn-in phase of hydrogen burning

Nuclear astrophysics studies the evolution of the elements in the universe since its creation. The astrophysical models rely on parameters that scientists deduce from laboratory measurements. Nuclear reactions play a crucial role inside stars. A team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf...

phys.org

Cosmic Rays
https://www.labmanager.com/a-new-lens-into-the-universe-s-most-energetic-particles-31115

 

[Hood]

The JET has now finished its last day of operation.

UK's nuclear fusion site ends experiments after 40 years

The JET laboratory, the focus of European fusion experiments for decades, carries out its last test.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[publiusr]

In the news

Cold plasma X-rays and fusion

Physicist explains X-rays that shouldn't exist in 'cold' plasma

For about 20 years, Caltech Professor of Applied Physics Paul Bellan and his group have been creating magnetically accelerated jets of plasma, an electrically conducting gas composed of ions and electrons, in a vacuum chamber big enough to hold a person. (Neon signs and lightning are everyday...

phys.org

Collisions change how fast ions surf on plasma waves in fusion experiments and beyond

Just like there are waves in the ocean, waves can also occur in an electrically charged gas called a plasma, made up of electrons and ions. In the ocean, people surf by riding their boards at nearly the same speed as the waves. This matching condition, called resonance, allows the wave to...

phys.org

A reactor for the Moon:

Nuclear power on the moon: Rolls-Royce unveils reactor mockup

The company hopes to have a demo device ready for a moon trip in 2029.

www.space.com

Seems familiar....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phPp5oYnps0

 

[Flyaway]

Helicity Space raises $5 million for fusion engine development

Helicity Space raises $5 million for fusion engine development

Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, has raised $5 million in a seed funding round.

spacenews.com

 

[Archibald]

Of course not, this is basically the third 1903 Wright Brothers flight. It'll take a bit to go from there to say 1919 KLM.

And from there, to Ju-52, then DC-3, then Constellation, then 707 and finally: 747.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Building a working fusion reactor is trivial. I'm talking high school science project trivial. You need a good vacuum pump (and bell glass) and the 25kv power supply from a neon sign. You can make the rest in any metal shop. Presto, one Farnsworth Fusor. Now that a friend of mine has a mill, I need to talk to him about making one for myself. Just need to mind the neutrons.

Building a working fusion reactor that produces more power than it takes to cause fusion is a challenge.

Tangential, I'm told there's still on-going research into 'Cold Fusion', usually by other names, and perhaps some-one will figure WTF was actually happening.

The best explanation I have read is on the "Low Energy Nuclear Reactions" pages. Some weird interactions between hellacious voltages and amperages (250kv and 50,000 amps kinds of numbers), with cosmic ray interactions doing something to catalyze the process. This has been observed and fusion-energy neutrons detected in high altitude thunderstorms, for example, so we know that it does work to a low level.

Well, Rosatom actually made research on the hybrid fusion-fission reactor (which would use Tokamak-type device to produce fusion plasma, that would bombard the thorium fuel with neutrons - thus "burning out" the Th-232 and resulting U-233 by intence neutron radiation. Boosted-fission reactor, sort of. Currently it's still a theory, but, well, Rosatom is a world leader in advanced reactors. They are the guys who are most likely to figure it out.

If a Russian math/physics nerd tells me he's figured out something, I will put money that he is correct.

OMG. I despair.

One problem, he said, was wrong sizes for the joints of blocks to be welded together for the installation’s 19 metres by 11 metres (62ft by 36ft) chamber.

The second was traces of corrosion in a thermal shield designed to protect the outside world from the enormous heat created during nuclear fusion.

Fixing the problems “is not a question of weeks, but months, even years”, Barabaschi said.

1) How the hell did those joint sizes get past blueprint review, let alone production?

2) Let me guess, construction was suspended pending funds for a while, so the thermal shield was left exposed to the elements?

 

[publiusr]

weird interactions between hellacious voltages and amperages (250kv and 50,000 amps kinds of numbers), with cosmic ray interactions doing something to catalyze the process. This has been observed

Just today phys.org has the article:
"New plasma instability sheds light on the nature of cosmic rays."

With accelerators smaller...could you line a tokamak with them for modification of plasma?

Part of me thinks an energy generating reactor needs a little of everything... lasers hitting a palladium target inside a....

Now iron can indeed be fused...even if poorly...but for constant fusion.. maybe an iron cigar type wrapping---very thin mind you---filled with more easily fused materials can be a sacrificial fuel rod inserted into a reactor like coal in a furnace...Tsander autophagy style.

 

[Forest Green]

Just today phys.org has the article:
"New plasma instability sheds light on the nature of cosmic rays."

New plasma instability sheds light on the nature of cosmic rays

Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) have discovered a new plasma instability that promises to revolutionize our understanding of the origin of cosmic rays and their dynamic impact on galaxies.

phys.org

 

[Archibald]

I was talking about hybrid fission-fusion thorium reactor research:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149197022003511

Tokamak and MSR hybrids, that's the way to go.

Molten Salt Reactor has a tritium waste issue - and need fast neutrons to turn (a) U238 into U235 b) U238 into Pu239 and c) Thorium 232 into Uranium 233. Can also be fed with dismantled A-bomb cores and nuclear waste.

And now, the good news: Tokamak could help. Not only would it provide the said fast neutrons BUT it would also thrive on that pesky tritium. It LOVES tritium for breakfast and dinner.

Bottom line: MSR helps salvaging the billions sunk into Tokamak since 60 years or more. Fusion fission alliance (should we could that fuission ?)

The Molten Salt Hybrid

The Russians once had one damn good idea: they wanted to turn their T-15 tokamak into such hybrid.

 

[publiusr]

New material for fusion

Newly developed material gulps down hydrogen, spits it out, protects fusion reactor walls

University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have used a spray coating technology to produce a new workhorse material that can withstand the harsh conditions inside a fusion reactor.

phys.org

New way to charge batteries

New way to charge batteries harnesses the power of 'indefinite causal order'

Batteries that exploit quantum phenomena to gain, distribute and store power promise to surpass the abilities and usefulness of conventional chemical batteries in certain low-power applications. For the first time, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, take advantage of an...

phys.org

Coding

New code developed for tokamak plasma rotation and transport analysis

A team led by Prof. Lyu Bo and Dr. Bae Cheonho from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new code to analyze the multi-fluid plasma rotation and transport properties in tokamak plasmas, including the Experimental Advanced Superconducting...

phys.org

 

[publiusr]

The latest

Scientists create effective 'spark plug' for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion experiments

Scientists from the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) led experiments to demonstrate an effective "spark plug" for direct-drive methods of inertial confinement fusion (ICF). In two studies published in Nature Physics, the authors discuss their results and outline...

phys.org

Fusion research facility's final tritium experiments yield new energy record

The Joint European Torus (JET), one of the world's largest and most powerful fusion machines, has demonstrated the ability to reliably generate fusion energy, while simultaneously setting a world record in energy output.

phys.org

NIF fusion breakeven claims peer reviewed and verified by multiple teams

Five independent teams of researchers have reviewed the work and claims made by a group at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) who announced in December 2022 that they had achieved the first laser-powered fusion reaction that exceeded "scientific breakeven"—in which more energy was produced by...

phys.org

Radiation and water

Scientists uncover a new model for the effects of radiation in water systems

What happens when radiation hits water? This is a question that has an impact every time you get an X-ray at the doctor's office, given you are mostly made of water. A team of theoretical physicists at DESY has worked on data taken by colleagues from Argonne National Laboratory in the US at the...

phys.org

 

[Forest Green]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VD_DLPQJBU

 

[TomcatViP]

Helicity Space raises $5 million for fusion engine development

Helicity Space raises $5 million for fusion engine development

Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, has raised $5 million in a seed funding round.

spacenews.com

Lockheed Martin Ventures invests in Helicity Space

Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, announced an investment April 2 from Lockheed Martin Ventures.

spacenews.com

Report includes a status of work.

 

[bobbymike]

Helicity Space Fusion Propulsion Funded by Lockheed Martin | NextBigFuture.com

Helicity Space, a commercial space company developing in-space propulsion and power technology based on fusion power, announced an investment from Lockheed

www.nextbigfuture.com

 

[publiusr]

New stellarator

A return to roots: Lab builds its first stellarator in 50 years and opens the door for research into new plasma physics

For the first time, scientists have built a fusion experiment using permanent magnets, a technique that could show a simple way to build future devices for less cost and allow researchers to test new concepts for future fusion power plants.

phys.org

 

[Flyaway]

Lockheed Martin Ventures invests in Helicity Space

Lockheed Martin Ventures invests in Helicity Space

Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, announced an investment April 2 from Lockheed Martin Ventures.

spacenews.com

SAN FRANCISCO – Helicity Space, a California startup developing fusion engines for spaceflight, announced an investment April 2 from Lockheed Martin Ventures.

 

[publiusr]

In the news

Record electron temperatures for a small-scale, sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion device achieved

In the nine decades since humans first produced fusion reactions, only a few fusion technologies have demonstrated the ability to make a thermal fusion plasma with electron temperatures hotter than 10 million degrees Celsius, roughly the temperature of the core of the sun. Zap Energy's unique...

phys.org

Physicists overcome two key operating hurdles in fusion reactions

A team of physicists from several institutions across the U.S. working with a colleague from China, at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, in San Diego, California, has devised a way to overcome two key hurdles standing in the way of using fusion as a general power source.

phys.org

New instrument could help scientists tailor plasma to produce more fusion heat

Creating heat from fusion reactions requires carefully manipulating the properties of plasma, the electrically charged fourth state of matter that makes up 99% of the visible universe.

phys.org

Other magnet uses

Exploiting disorder to harvest heat energy: The potentialities of 2D magnets for thermoelectric applications

Thermoelectric systems are a green and sustainable way to harvest energy from any form of heat that otherwise would be wasted. At the core of this energy conversion process is the so-called Seebeck effect, which describes the voltage building up on a material exposed to a temperature difference.

phys.org

The Stanford…I mean Sanford…circular accelerator

The MUSE Permanent Magnet Stellarator: Fusion Reactor With Off-The-Shelf Parts

When you think of a fusion reactor like a tokamak or stellarator, you are likely to think of expensive projects requiring expensive electromagnets made out of exotic alloys, whether superconducting…

hackaday.com

Where’s Lamont?

 

[Forest Green]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=331WN7ZhJQw

 

[Flyaway]

A tokamak in France set a new record in fusion plasma by encasing its reaction in tungsten, a heat-resistant metal that allows physicists to sustain hot plasmas for longer, and at higher energies and densities than carbon tokamaks.

New Fusion Record Achieved in Tungsten-Encased Reactor

A fusion device ensconced in highly durable tungsten sustained a more energetic, denser plasma than previously recorded.

gizmodo.com

 

[publiusr]

Some fusion and nuclear news from across the web

First observation of a focused plasma wave on the sun

For the first time, scientists have observed plasma waves from a solar flare focused by a coronal hole, akin to the focusing of sound waves responsible for the Rotunda effect in architecture or the focusing of light by a telescope or microscope.

phys.org

Researchers investigate properties of novel materials for electronics operating in extremely hot environments

The scorching surface of Venus, where temperatures can climb to 480°C (hot enough to melt lead), is an inhospitable place for humans and machines alike. One reason scientists have not yet been able to send a rover to the planet's surface is that silicon-based electronics can't operate in such...

phys.org

Nuclear physicists make first precision measurements of radium monofluoride

For the first time, nuclear physicists have made precision measurements of a short-lived radioactive molecule, radium monofluoride (RaF). In their study published in the journal Nature Physics, the researchers combined ion-trapping techniques with specialized laser systems to measure the fine...

phys.org

Gamma-ray method monitors nuclear reactors safely and quickly

Scientists at EPFL have devised and tested out a new, gamma-noise method for monitoring nuclear reactors non-invasively and from a distance. The new method, tested out on EPFL's CROCUS nuclear reactor, can improve nuclear safety and treaty compliance.

techxplore.com

The origin of the sun's magnetic field could lie close to its surface

The sun's surface is a brilliant display of sunspots and flares driven by the solar magnetic field, which is internally generated through a process called dynamo action. Astrophysicists have assumed that the sun's field is generated deep within the star. But an MIT study finds that the sun's...

phys.org

NA64 uses the high-energy SPS muon beam to search for dark matter

The NA64 experiment started operations at CERN's SPS North Area in 2016. Its aim is to search for unknown particles from a hypothetical "dark sector." For these searches, NA64 directs an electron beam onto a fixed target. Researchers then look for unknown dark sector particles produced by...

phys.org

Promethium bound: New study uncovers rare earth element's properties

Scientists have uncovered the properties of a rare earth element that was first discovered 80 years ago at the very same laboratory, opening a new pathway for the exploration of elements critical in modern technology, from medicine to space travel.

phys.org

Researchers unveil tritium release behavior of solid breeder irradiated with fusion neutron

A research group led by Prof. Wang Haixia from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the tritium release behavior of lithium titanate (Li2TiO3) breeder irradiated with fusion neutrons, which contributes to the optimization of the the solid...

phys.org

Theory and experiment combine to shine a new light on proton spin

Nuclear physicists have long been working to reveal how the proton gets its spin. Now, a new method that combines experimental data with state-of-the-art calculations has revealed a more detailed picture of spin contributions from the very glue that holds protons together. It also paves the way...

phys.org

Now this is what interests me the most here:

New discoveries about the nature of light could improve methods for heating fusion plasma

Both literally and figuratively, light pervades the world. It banishes darkness, conveys telecommunications signals between continents and makes visible the invisible, from faraway galaxies to the smallest bacterium. Light can also help heat the plasma within ring-shaped devices known as...

phys.org

Ramifications for the nuclear lightbulb?

Having forgotten about NIF, I didn't think optics would have much to do with fusion.

Light handling technologies no one would think of using might wind up being relevant---

More

Fixing the Main Problems in a Scientifically Proven Nuclear Fusion Design | NextBigFuture.com

Thea Energy has new simpler, cheaper, faster approaches to nuclear fusion. They have many design and engineering innovations using Stellarators. THEA Energy

www.nextbigfuture.com

 

[publiusr]

On field shapes

Apple versus donut: How the shape of a tokamak impacts the limits of the edge of the plasma

Harnessing energy from plasma requires a precise understanding of its behavior during fusion to keep it hot, dense and stable. A new theoretical model about a plasma's edge, which can become unstable and bulge, brings the prospect of commercial fusion power closer to reality.

phys.org

 

[Forest Green]

First Light Fusion Makes Progress Towards an Economical Working Fusion Reactor | NextBigFuture.com

First Light Fusion is developing an inertial fusion with a pulsed process. They fire physical projectiles at high speeds like 40 kilometers per second to

www.nextbigfuture.com

Machine 4 will have a stored electrical energy of about 100 megajoules with the capability of launching projectiles at 60 kms per second. This speed on impact inside the target will accelerate to about 200kms per second as a result of First Light’s exclusive amplifier technology.

First Light is aiming for net energy gain with Machine 4 with fuel gain of 100 or more. This machine is the building block for the pilot power plant, validating First Light’s simulation codes, while de-risking the design of high-gain targets for power production.

They are aiming for a power plant producing ~150 MW of electricity, firing once every 30 seconds, and costing less than $1 billion.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTj5HKiLKJY

 

[Scott Kenny]

Just today phys.org has the article:
"New plasma instability sheds light on the nature of cosmic rays."

With accelerators smaller...could you line a tokamak with them for modification of plasma?

Well above my paygrade, and the gentleman I used to ask about those types of questions has passed.

The other Navy Nuke I know isn't a Fusion guy (and he's kinda eyeballs deep in trying to run a submarine repair depot).

 

[publiusr]

It looks like there are ways to better handle plasmas:

New plasma escape mechanism could protect fusion vessels from excessive heat

The furious exhaust heat generated by a fusing plasma in a commercial-scale reactor may not be as damaging to the vessel's innards as once thought, according to researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the...

phys.org

25 years of massive fusion energy experiment data open on the 'cloud' and available to everyone

High-temperature fusion plasma experiments conducted in the Large Helical Device (LHD) of the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), have renewed the world record for an acquired data amount, 0.92 terabytes (TB) per experiment, in February 2022, by using a full range of state-of-the-art...

phys.org

New insights on the role of nucleon exchange in nuclear fusion

Low-energy nuclear fusion reactions can potentially provide clean energy. In stars, low-energy fusion reactions during the stages of carbon and oxygen burning are critical to stellar evolution. These reactions also offer valuable insights into the exotic processes occurring in the inner crust of...

phys.org

The discovery of new turbulence transition in fusion plasmas

Fusion energy is released when two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier one (nuclear fusion reaction). Fusion energy-based power generation (fusion power plant) uses the energy generated when deuterium and tritium combine to form helium.

phys.org

This looks fun

Pair plasmas found in deep space can now be generated in the lab

An international team of scientists has developed a novel way to experimentally produce plasma 'fireballs' on Earth.

phys.org

"The laboratory generation of plasma 'fireballs' composed of matter, antimatter, and photons is a research goal at the forefront of high-energy-density science," says lead author Charles Arrowsmith, a physicist from the University of Oxford who is joining LLE in the fall.

So THAT'S how the Romulans did it...

 

[publiusr]

Preventing erosion

Study reveals material erosion and deposition in fusion reactors

Researchers led by Prof. Luo Guangnan from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have made an important discovery about how materials break down and mix on the surfaces inside the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). They found that material...

phys.org

Investigating plasma deviations inside nuclear fusion reactors

Tokamaks are one of the most widely studied technologies in the global effort to achieve sustained nuclear fusion. Using intense magnetic fields, they confine superheated plasma within their doughnut-shaped interiors, allowing atomic nuclei to fuse together and release vast amounts of energy.

phys.org

Matrix unloaded: Graphics processor-boosted solvers for diffusion physics

Underlying all complex multiphysics simulations are even more complex mathematical algorithms that solve the equations describing movement of physical phenomena—for instance, the radiation diffusion and burning plasma processes inherent in fusion reactions. Preconditioned solvers are often used...

techxplore.com

 

[publiusr]

A look inside fusion and nuclear power

Using supercomputer researchers discover new clues to improving fusion confinement

Nuclear fusion—when two nuclei combine to form a new nucleus, thereby releasing energy—may be the clean, reliable, limitless power source of the future. But first, scientists must learn how to control its production.

phys.org

Researchers find potential new method to control plasma density in fusion reactors

In the realm of fusion research, the control of plasma density, temperature, and heating is crucial for enhancing reactor performance. Effective confinement of plasma particles and heat, especially maintaining high density and temperature at the core where fusion occurs, is essential.

phys.org

New calculation approach allows more accurate predictions of how atoms ionize when impacted by high-energy electrons

During electron-impact ionization (EII), high-energy electrons collide with atoms, knocking away one or more of their outer electrons. To calculate the probability that ionization will occur during these impacts, researchers use a quantity named the "ionization cross-section." EII is among the...

phys.org

Researchers capture detailed picture of electron acceleration in one shot

Adjusting experimental methods achieved the first "single-shot" diagnosis of electron acceleration through a laser wakefield accelerator along a curved trajectory, according to a recent study led by University of Michigan researchers. The findings are published in the journal Physical Review...

phys.org

Understanding the interior of atomic nuclei

There is a lot going on inside atomic nuclei. Protons and neutrons are whizzing around and interacting with each other. The movement of the nuclear particles and their intrinsic angular momentum induce magnetic moments. Together, this can make atomic nuclei tiny magnets.

phys.org

Uranium science researchers investigate feasibility of intentional nuclear forensics

Despite strong regulations and robust international safeguards, authorities routinely interdict nuclear materials outside of regulatory control. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are exploring a new method that would give authorities the ability to analyze...

phys.org

Real-time modeling of 3D temperature distributions within nuclear microreactors to improve safety systems

A real-time, 3D temperature map of the inside of a nuclear microreactor for improved safety monitoring was reconstructed using a newly-established theoretical foundation to evaluate basis functions, which can be combined to describe fundamental trends in data, according to a new University of...

techxplore.com

How 'sticky' is dense nuclear matter?

Colliding heavy atomic nuclei together creates a fluidlike soup of visible matter's fundamental building blocks, quarks and gluons. This soup has very low viscosity—a measure of its "stickiness," or resistance to flow.

phys.org

Speeding through the microcosm: Insights into ultrafast electron and lattice dynamics

A study has unlocked new dimensions in understanding the ultrafast processes of charge and energy transfer at the microscale. The research delves into the dynamics of microscopic particles, providing insights that could revolutionize semiconductor and electronic device development.

phys.org

 

[FighterJock]

Highly fascinating publiusr. It is only a matter of time before we crack the mystery of nuclear fusion for clean and unlimited power without the problem of nuclear waste that we currently get from nuclear fission reactors that are curently in use today.