Posted on 10/15/2014 10:50:41 AM PDT by apillar
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp said on Wednesday it had made a technological breakthrough in developing a power source based on nuclear fusion, and the first reactors, small enough to fit on the back of a truck, could be ready for use in a decade.
Initial work demonstrated the feasibility of building a 100-megawatt reactor measuring seven feet by 10 feet, which could fit on the back of a large truck, and is about 10 times smaller than current reactors, McGuire told reporters.
In a statement, the company, the Pentagon's largest supplier, said it would build and test a compact fusion reactor in less than a year, and build a prototype in five years.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
When someone says they have a great new idea/plan along these lines, I either want to see it in operation, or I want them to acknowledge many things can happen along the road to successful implementation.
I hope this pans out. I remain a person that isn’t convinced it will.
It will also produce copious quantities of neutrons which will render anything in the vicinity with a significant neutron capture cross section seriously radioactive, and damage the dtructure of the fusion generator istself fairly quickly. 2D + 3T = 4He + a neutron
The proof will be in the pudding. They said it will take a year to build.
That would be 13 of these with a little left over..................
Gonna need a bigger tin foil hat...................
Lockheed was down $5 so far today, the buzz ain’t kicked in yet.
Be nice to see somebody pull it off.
There is a whole lot more to a nuclear power plant than just the reactor. The reactor produces heat. You need steam turbines, generators, cooling tower, etc...
Deuterium and tritium are both forms of hydrogen. Tritium is radioactive, however, and using it in a reactor will spread the radiation to other components. The “different fuel” mentioned is probably helium-3, which can be used in place of tritium and is non-radioactive. The problem is that it’s extremely rare and can’t be made artificially like tritium can. The movie “Moon” was about harvesting helium-3 from the moon because there’s more of it there.
I agree. It would.
If someone can come up with a small cold fusion unit that would drive an electric car, imagine the possibilities, beyond that.
How about the purchase of a home unit to take care of all your home power needs for between five years and a decade.
Great news if true, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
I realize this is different BTW.
” A reactor on the back of trucks....
What could possibly go wrong?”
Not much. Not a movie where they can go boom. Look up the safety aspects of fusion vs fission.
Comeon, say it with me, "They didn't build that."
Right now it's just an idea. Five generations of samples to reach "prototype" stage, with each generation taking a year. Lockheed is fishing for investors.
Tom McGuire, who heads the project, said he and a small team had been working on fusion energy at Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works for about four years, but were now going public to find potential partners in industry and government for their work.
...
“Potential partners,” otherwise known as suckers. If this had promise Lockheed would keep it for themselves. What they are really want is some easy money.
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