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New R&D Direction "Hot Fusion in a Can "
Discover Magazine ^
| Feb 2002
| Kathy A. Svitil
Posted on 02/17/2002 12:13:06 PM PST by The Raven
Richard Siemen, a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, thinks he's found a way to harness the nuclear fusion reactions that power the sun and do it with a device not much bigger than a beer can. The long-standing obstacle to fusion power is that atomic nuclei strongly repel one another, and it takes some heavy-handed technology to bring them together. So far, after spending decades and billions of dollars on warehouse-sized reactors, researchers have yet to extract enough energy to power a flashlight. Siemen hopes to succeed where others failed by injecting heated and magnetized hydrogen into a 10-inch-long, 31/2-inch-wide aluminum cylinder and then shooting a 10- million-amp current into the can, which collapses and crushes its contents. Under those conditions, Siemen theorizes, the hydrogen should fuse, producing helium and a flood of high-speed neutrons whose energy can be converted to electricity. So far, he has imploded a can but has not achieved nuclear burning. "Within 20 years, we could have a demonstration unit that would cost less than a billion dollars," he says. In the fusion world, that would qualify as a real breakthrough.
TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: energylist; techindex
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1
posted on
02/17/2002 12:13:06 PM PST
by
The Raven
To: The Raven
There are people who will crush a beer can on their forehead for a lot less than $1 billion.
Comment #3 Removed by Moderator
To: RightWhale
I crushed a beer can against my head and saw a brilliant flash of light.
4
posted on
02/17/2002 12:20:06 PM PST
by
eno_
To: The Raven
Can I stand somewhere else when he tries it?
To: RightWhale
This sorta reminds me of the "Riggatron", a proposed cheap fusion device I read about in Omni magazine oh, around twenty years ago. The name Robert Broussard comes to mind, but I don't remember if he was involved or not. This will most likely also come to nothing. What is the current state of the art of fusion technology, anyway? Is it still twenty years away, like it was twenty years ago?
To: eno_
ROFL...y'all are too funny!
Wonder if those here who complain about gas prices are suddenly worried about the prospects of a fusion technology removing their raison d'etre????
HMMMMMMMMM???????
7
posted on
02/17/2002 12:24:57 PM PST
by
Alkhin
To: The Raven
I've always wondered about people with his last name.
8
posted on
02/17/2002 12:28:25 PM PST
by
d4now
To: Billy_bob_bob
Is it still twenty years away Forty years ago it was 40 years away. Now it is only 39 years away. There is insufficient data to determine whether the timeline curve of progress is linear or an incomplete elliptic integral of the second kind.
To: d4now
I've always wondered about people with his last name. Yeah!! Now that I looked at his drawing again.......hmmm.....there may be a problem.
To: The Raven
Can O'Fission
To: The Raven
"shooting a 10- million-amp current into the can, which collapses and " ...cools off the plasma.
12
posted on
02/17/2002 12:41:53 PM PST
by
mrsmith
To: SolitaryMan
Make that "Can O'Fusion"
To: RightWhale
Sounds like a 1 shot deal.
At a billion dollars a pop I'd imagine that Mr. Fusion won't be in my kitchen any time soon even if this does work......
14
posted on
02/17/2002 12:43:10 PM PST
by
El Sordo
To: RightWhale
To: The Raven
There is a similarly sized device in New Mexico which can also produce enormous energy. This device is called a burrito. Once it is consumed it will produce violent explosions which have a surprising destructive ability. If only this power could be harnessed we could completely end our dependence on foreign oil.
To: RightWhale
Forty years ago it was 40 years away. Now it is only 39 years away. Fool! It's only a constant 20 years now -- he even said so. That's progress -- we're closer to not getting it than we've ever been before!
There is insufficient data to determine whether the timeline curve of progress is linear or an incomplete elliptic integral of the second kind.
Moore's law predicts that the computing power of chips will double every 18 months. Let me be the first to propose RightWhale's law:
"The time between now and the advent of fusion power becomes twice as constant every 18 months."
17
posted on
02/17/2002 12:48:51 PM PST
by
r9etb
To: The Raven
It does say "Plasma Injector" right there near the tip.
18
posted on
02/17/2002 12:49:21 PM PST
by
d4now
To: The Raven
A massive power source with the by-product of helium. Maybe we will be able to avoid another Yucca mountain if this thing is for real.
To: The Raven;tech_index
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