Author Topic: One step closer to nuclear fusion.  (Read 1581 times)

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Offline Kobuk

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« Last Edit: December 12, 2022, 07:00:08 pm by Kobuk »

Offline Firelight

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2022, 01:51:15 am »
Well that's a scary thought... :o  x_x

Offline cause the rat

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2022, 02:56:36 am »
This is AWESOME! The holy grail of clean energy.
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Offline Jade Sinapu

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2022, 09:42:06 am »
Everyone overlooks the fast neutrons...and how to stop them and how when you use materials to shield against them, they become "activated" (read radioactive).

https://www.psfc.mit.edu/events/2021/the-pros-and-cons-of-neutrons-in-fusion-technology

But still.... a good step forward
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Offline Jade Sinapu

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2022, 12:32:32 am »
https://www.ipp.mpg.de/2769068/faq9

Decommissioned fusion plants would be radioactive for 100 to 500 years  .
Sorry not so clean is it.
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Offline Firelight

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2022, 07:39:59 pm »
We all know someone will try to weaponize this...

Offline Jade Sinapu

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2022, 10:23:17 am »
Supposedly Tritium is made in the fusion process, which is a radioactive gas.
I have several keychain lights which contain tritium.

IDK what else tritium is used for, but seems that Fusion makes only the fusion reactor "dirty", and does not make a stream of radioactive stuff as a regular output, except for that tritium which i think they feed back in to keep fusion going.


but yeah, someone will do something with it that no one intended
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Offline cause the rat

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2022, 03:03:35 pm »
We will weaponize everything. No matter what it is. Why would this be any different? There are obvious flaws with this. Making something in a flash is good. Creating the gravitational field to keep it going is what's hard. If that can be achieved then, well, more power to us all. What I find funny is they are doing this instead of figuring out how to revert radiation into usable energy. We already convert ultra violet radiation into solar energy. We all it solar energy because it's from the sun. In truth it should be called ultra violet energy. The same radiation that burns and gives us cancer. Like any other radiation. This research is a break through. Nice to see. And may eventually lead to more. To me it's more like trying to re invent water. We already know how to convert radiation into energy. Why aren't they doing more with this? 
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Offline Jade Sinapu

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2022, 10:32:51 pm »
nano scale antennas shaped like bow-ties are being made that can , with the aid of a tiny ultra fast diode, convert the AC power of light its self into weak DC power.  Make millions of these bow-tie antennas on a plate.  Make millions of plates, and get power from not just UV, but visible, and IR light too.  This will make solar cells obsolete in many ways.  This is a real thing, they are called rect-tennas meaning rectifier (diode) and antenna.
It is just hard to mass produce.

So in that way we do make radiation into energy.

Also we have plates of metals in water, which when sun light shines on it, can split water into O2 and H2 gas.  release O2 to air.  bottle H2.  Burn H2 at home, school, work, or car.
H2 stores into containers.  It can be detected if leaks happen.  It burns to make pure water and releases almost all the energy put into it from the initial reaction.

We have issues storing electricity now.  We can store liquids and gasses.  Batteries have both parts of the equation in them, a "fuel" and the "oxidizer" meaning they can burn by themselves, and not be put out.
Hydrogen gas does burn, but needs Oxygen.  It can be smothered, flooded, etc.

Anyway fusion is "cool" but we also have good ideas for energy elsewhere.  Ones that are not making radioactive materials, and can store energy in literal tanks.
Imagine refueling your car at a hydrogen station like you do to get LPG.  (Which some countries do now).  Refuel car in 5 min.  How long to charge that Tesla for a full range?
Oh and how often does that battery bank need replacing?  Every 5 years?  So a fully welded tank for H2 gas, how often does that need replacing?  Probably only needs yearly inspection to be very strict.  But not replacement.  So surround your H2 tank with a plastic tank and put H2 sensor in it.  If sensor goes off tank is leaky.  Anyway, we could make this a reality. H2 gas also can power fuel cell make DC power direct and also make heat and water.  International Space Station anyone?  Why were H2 O2 fuel cells forgotten?  Cost?  yet we will do fusion?

IDK... no one wants hydrogen economy.  People are stuck in 1930's and think Hindenburg disaster is all hydrogen is good for.
Never mind the space launches that use TONS of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and they work.

So fusion is good.  Let's branch out however.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2022, 10:37:37 pm by Jade Sinapu »
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Offline DDD

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Re: One step closer to nuclear fusion.
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2022, 03:33:53 pm »
G'day all,

Love this tech discussion. I don't know too much about nuclear processes, but I can contribute with respect to photovoltaics (solar panels).
I think in the discussion above someone mentioned that they only used UV radiation. A photovoltaic can be tuned to any particular wavelength (including visible length). This is done by matching the energy of the photon (E=hf h=constant f=freq of photon/light) to the electron band energy gaps in the material converting the photon to electricity. A little fun experiment - get a standard coloured 5mm LED. Connect a voltmeter across it. It should produce a few millivolts when exposed to a lightsource containing the required frequency light. If you have a red LED, shine red light on it from another red LED. What voltage does it produce? Repeat, but shine green or blue light on it. See what happens.

I also see in the convo above discussion about how things are weaponized. This is true. Anything that can create or store a large amount of power can be used for harm. Petrol (which most of us use in our cars) is highly flammable and can be used to harm people. Electricity (which powers e-vehicles and industrial equipment) can be used to harm people.

It is therefore very important for us to not just develop new methods of electricity generation and storage, but also develop technology and standard to keep it safe, as well as updating/creating laws regarding the use/modification of these things.

DDD
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