Posted on 08/01/2018 9:41:39 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Lockheed Martin’s secretive Skunkworks laboratory registered a patent in March for a revolutionary technology that could solve the world’s energy problems for good – but don’t pop the champagne yet. The design is for a compact fusion reactor (CFR) which theoretically produces cheap, clean, near limitless energy – all from a device that could fit on the back of a semi. If it sounds far-fetched, that’s because it is. The sustained generation of a fusion reaction has evaded scientists since the idea was first conceived over 70 years ago.
Lockheed Martin thinks they can change that.
A controlled thermonuclear fusion reaction is the holy grail of energy technology. When two hydrogen atoms join together to form a single, heavier atom, a vast amount of energy is released. This process is the same that gives the sun its power. Think of a star as one massive fusion reactor.
No carbon emissions or radioactive waste are produced in the reaction, and ocean water is all the fuel you need for a hundred thousand years of operation. Oh, and a fusion reactor is incapable of melting down – when a fusion reaction fails it simply snuffs itself out.
The challenge with fusion lies in harnessing and controlling the unstable reaction....
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
IBMFP..................
IT IS!........................
Today I learned you can register a patent for a device that doesn’t work.
Might not be this time. Just the other day I was thinking something might be in the works and perhaps will be commercially viable within 10 years.
That would account for the U.S increasing oil production and taking over the world market.
A lot of our foreign policy is centered around oil producers — Saudi Arabia and neighbors, and Russia.
Huge geopolitical repercussions if oil becomes less important.
Common practice. Done in high tech all the time.
Ping
Excellent observation.
I wonder how many Perpetual Motion Machines have been Patented?
The patent office does not care if it works or not..................
Today I learned you can register a patent for a device that doesn’t work.
A compact fusion reactor such as envisioned by Lockheed has a much greater chance of working than the “cold fusion” scams we have had long discussions of on freerepublic.
Talk about a golden age if it happens! The U.S. Should use such dominance to extend its superpower status for the next hundred years, and to exploit the resources of the Solar System.
Nuclear power whether through fusion or traditional fission is the answer to limitless cheap electric power. Consider the billions wasted on windmills, and solar farms which could never provide even a fraction of our electric needs. If that money had been invested in developing new nuclear technology we would have no concerns about electric power and the environmental hysteria about green house gases from environmentalists would be crushed. I am sure that if this new fusion technology were perfected, environmental luddites would find some problem with it and be demanding more worthless windmills and solar farms.
Livermore National Lab begs to differ.
None. They do not exist............
Wait for it. It’s made out of graphene?
Bought one from Amazon last week.
Uh, you do know I was being facetious, right? #;^)
So was I......................
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