Nuclear Fusion

[Winnipeger]

This is such huge news, it's hard to believe it's actually true. Assuming it is true, and it's scalable, I believe humans will make it to Mars and beyond. Will it bring down the cost of energy over the coming decades? Will it change the global economy? I mean, converting Hydrogen into Helium and syphoning off the free energy solves so many problems, it's hard to imagine what a world in command of fusion technology would look like. Every child on Earth could have 10 free birthday balloons with all that surplus Helium, which is currently a finite resource after all.

Anybody else have any interest or expertise in nuclear physics? I'm just a fanboy when it comes to plasma.

December 13, 2022 US officials announce nuclear fusion breakthrough - https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nuclear-fusion-reaction-us-announcement-12-13-22/index.html#:~:text=Energy%20officials%20announce%20nuclear%20fusion%20breakthrough&text=The%20experiment%20put%20in%202.05,a%20meaningful%20gain%20of%20energy.

 

[bassbug]

Far from an expert but I too have been following this, even if only with a rudimentary understanding. I suspect making it commercially viable will take many more years but the net gain in a controlled setting is pretty amazing. it will certainly give dilithium crystals a run for their money...

 

[Chasing Embers]

The article mentions sourcing tritium. I've seen this movie.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Probably not going to affect many of us in our lifetime but the potential long term impact is off the charts. Perhaps the biggest scientific breakthrough of all time.

 

[ChonkyTonks]

I studied nuclear engineering at my university and this was always in the back of everyone's mind. It wasn't as if it were like whether Santa Clause was real, but so far out of reach that people did not think it would happen in our lifetime. This is a huge event. Like @hoosierpipeguy stated, though, it will take a long time to stabilize and perfect it for the public to accept it as "safe".

 

[mikethompson]

Santa Clause

Claus.

 

[mikethompson]

It is incredible and almost unbelievable news and we were listening to it at work today. I'm 41, and I'm sure I will see some aspect of it in my life, and my kids most definitely will.

 

[ChonkyTonks]

Claus.

I would love to say that I was trying to be pithy/witty by misspelling that, but all I got right now is, "I only slept five hours and my proofreading is a bit off."

 

[mikethompson]

I usually don't correct it, but I do have a quota to meet. They didn't make me Commissar of Christmas because of my good looks.

 

[georged]

I suspect making it commercially viable will take many more years...

Going from small scale lab proofs to commercial use/application is definitely the challenge.

I have discussions regularly with someone (my kid) who works in a related field, and he says the jump from what the press and public call discoveries are only theoretical proofs, and that many MORE discoveries of "invention type" are necessary before anything can be done outside a laboratory, never mind scaling up a process to a meaningful size.

His specialty is creating (for lack of a more conventient term) "light batteries." Ways to store light that contains information for later use/access that does not destroy the information. (It's the Holy Grail of communication technology.) It actually can already be done--several years ago he held the record for length-of-storage time---but he readily admits that no one has any idea except in principle how to make use of the knowledge.

https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Alan-M-Dibos-2025655246

 

[mawnansmiff]

A long, long time ago there was a planet that was populated by a species of humanoid.

They found themselves running low on sources of fuel that lay miles below their planet's surface so the brightest of these humanoids got to thinking about nuclear fusion and whether it just might work and solve the imminent fuel shortages.

However, some of these humanoids were dead set against the idea, saying that once scaled up to a certain level, it would get out of control and set off a massive chain reaction that would be totally unstoppable.

Nevertheless, the scientific humanoids won the argument and started to scale up their experiments with positive results every time until they reached a point where, for virtually zero input, they were able to obtain nigh on limitless energy to everyone's delight.

Then the chain reaction kicked in....and what became of this planet? We call it the sun

Regards,

Jay.

 

[chilllucky]

The 3.8 billion dollars and many many killajoules of electricity spent to achieve this _potential_ energy solution could have been spent on led bulbs, solar panels, and insulation that would unburden the grid now.

But I've never gotten much traction with my "you have to clean your room before you buy new toys" attitude towards experimental achievements. Ask me about mars if you really want to get me going...

 

[gervais]

Aaahhhhh Science! Gotta love it!

The advancement of, and the destruction of all mankind.

 

[condorlover1]

I would be a lot more excited if they invented a better plastic fork for getting those dates out of the packets at Christmas time.

 

[tbradsim1]

maybe lighters that doesn’t need fuel?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Claus.

That's just a phonetic interpretation of the Dutch "Klaas".

 

[Briar Lee]

This is such huge news, it's hard to believe it's actually true. Assuming it is true, and it's scalable, I believe humans will make it to Mars and beyond. Will it bring down the cost of energy over the coming decades? Will it change the global economy? I mean, converting Hydrogen into Helium and syphoning off the free energy solves so many problems, it's hard to imagine what a world in command of fusion technology would look like. Every child on Earth could have 10 free birthday balloons with all that surplus Helium, which is currently a finite resource after all.

Anybody else have any interest or expertise in nuclear physics? I'm just a fanboy when it comes to plasma.

December 13, 2022 US officials announce nuclear fusion breakthrough - https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nuclear-fusion-reaction-us-announcement-12-13-22/index.html#:~:text=Energy%20officials%20announce%20nuclear%20fusion%20breakthrough&text=The%20experiment%20put%20in%202.05,a%20meaningful%20gain%20of%20energy.

My grandfather was born in 1880 and died in 1972, and graduated Weaubleau Christian College in 1901.

He preached about the promise of nuclear fusion, and maybe I might live to see a commercial reactor.

Sing about it, Merle.

—-

(Bloomberg) -- A remarkable nuclear fusion milestone announced in Washington shows it may be possible to use the technology to build a commercial power plant — it just may take longer than the White House expects.

“The president has a decadal vision, to get to a commercial fusion reactor within 10 years,” US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday during an event disclosing the breakthrough. “This shows that it can be done.

—-

We choose to go to the moon and the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

JFK

 

[Chasing Embers]

Aaahhhhh Science! Gotta love it!

The advancement of, and the destruction of all mankind.

Hopefully I won't live long enough to see one of their "setbacks".

 

[monty55]

I've taken notice every time there's an announcement that there's been a breakthrough in nuclear fusion, but it seems to me like there is an announcement of a breakthrough every other month. So I guess it's all good. Keep on keeping on. But like other's have said, this is a long way from being a reality. It's cool if we can control it though.

 

[jpberg]

A feel good announcement.