Posted on 08/13/2022 12:57:56 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) National Ignition Facility (NIF) recorded the first case of ignition on August 8, 2021, the results of which have now been published in three peer-reviewed papers.
Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the Sun and other stars: heavy hydrogen atoms collide with enough force that they fuse together to form a helium atom, releasing large amounts of energy as a by-product. Once the hydrogen plasma "ignites", the fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining, with the fusions themselves producing enough power to maintain the temperature without external heating.
Ignition during a fusion reaction essentially means that the reaction itself produced enough energy to be self-sustaining, which would be necessary in the use of fusion to generate electricity.
In this latest milestone at the LLNL, researchers recorded an energy yield of more than 1.3 megajoules (MJ) during only a few nanoseconds.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Boom! (?)
💥💥💥💥💥
That's not saying very much, but I guess it's an encouraging milestone, even if for such a brief nano-moment.
Is this what the greenies have been waiting for?
Free electricity is only 10 years away.
That’s nice. I guess. I wish I had money for every nuclear fusion “breakthrough” that’s ever been reported.
20
Always 20
....but, as usual, commercial use is estimated to be “less than thirty years away!”
Oh, joy!
Now, where’s my goddam flying car and jet back pack?
...and we only got eight...
I remember when they said that nuclear power would be “too cheap to meter”.
I hope it works.
Still gonna need crude oil and natural gas.
5.56mm
I have this nagging fear that one of these days guys are going to blow us to mars.
I have this nagging fear that one of these days guys are going to blow us to mars.
***************
I hear Mars has a very strict immigration policy and robust enforcement of same.
I doubt many of us would make it through.
One kilowatt-hour of electricity is 3.6 megajoules.
One million joules is approximately the kinetic energy of a one metric ton vehicle moving at 161 km/h (100 mph).
But it occurred in a nanosecond. That’s... wow.
“Too cheap to meter”
Only if the only source of hydrogen plasma is China. Otherwise, they’ll be demonizing it in 3...2...1...
“I hear Mars has a very strict immigration policy and robust enforcement of same.”
Oxygen deprivation and hypothermia have no exceptions.
1.3 megajoules (MJ) during only a few nanoseconds.
—
A very very long way to go.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.