fusor

Another "Cheap" Fusion Device...!?!?!

Well, sure, I guess, compared to the $14-billion they're going to blow on ITER, a mere $37-million sounds like chump change.

More specifically, General Fusion plans to make a metal sphere reactor that spins a liquid mixture of lithium and lead to create a vortex inside the sphere. Two spheromaks, or plasma rings kept together by a self-contained magnetic field, are injected into the sphere to create a target. At the same time, 220 pistons hit the outside surface of the sphere to create a shock wave that hits the plasma, compresses it, fuses the isotopes into helium, and releases energy-filled neutrons captured by the liquid mixture. The energy is extracted from the liquid with a heat exchanger to create steam to spin a power-generating turbine and to continue to run the reactor.

It sounds good on paper, but General Fusion has yet to develop 3-D simulations or build a test reactor. If the company can raise another $37 million, it hopes to have a prototype reactor ready in five years. With $500 million more in funding, the company will have a grid-ready reactor four years after that. These are a lot of "ifs", and we probably won't know the fate of General Fusion for at least half a decade.

Speaking of "Change..."

I'm still getting static (in the form of snarky comments) to that "Nobel Laureates Endorse Obama" post from a couple of months ago, so I'm leery of making "political" posts in this this space.  But this isn't politics, it's just "news."  (And rather old news at that, the dateline is like 10 days ago....)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday signaled climate change and genetic research will be among his top priorities when he takes office as he named White House science and technology advisers.

"Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation," Obama said in a weekly radio and video address.

"It's time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology."

Obama's comments were a clear reference to President George W. Bush's administration which has been accused of downplaying scientific findings on climate change and genetic research.

Now, before anybody gets riled up and posts a comment about the new president's middle name or the former domestic terrorists in his neighborhood, kindly recall this statement, attributed to John Wayne in the wake of the 1961 inauguration of John F. Kennedy:

"I didn't vote for him, but he's my President, and I hope he does a good job."

Which is really all anybody can ask for at this juncture.

Maybe National Exposure...

...in a publication like the Wall Street Journal isn't such a good thing after all, since it seems to give some people in positions of authority who nevertheless have little idea what they're talking about something to be afraid of, like this editor and publisher of the Emporia Gazette.

I don’t know much about nuclear reactors, but the idea of having amateur scientists attempt to fuse atoms sounds as if it could be dangerous. I called Emporia’s city attorney to make sure there was a law prohibiting home nuclear reactors.

What I found is that in Emporia, it is illegal to have couches on your front porch, it’s illegal to have grass in your yard that is taller than 12 inches and it’s illegal to have roosters living within the city limits.

But if you want to have nuclear reactor in your basement, that is perfectly OK.

Tesla's Spirit Lives On

One of the lasting legacies of Nikola Tesla is his quest to deliver electrical power wirelessly.  Now Intel says they've achieved just that, although without giant tower on Long Island...

Intel on Thursday showed off a wireless electric power system that analysts say could revolutionize modern life by freeing devices from transformers and wall outlets.

Intel chief technology officer Justin Rattner demonstrated a Wireless Energy Resonant Link as he spoke at the California firm's annual developers forum in San Francisco.

Electricity was sent wirelessly to a lamp on stage, lighting a 60 watt bulb that uses more power than a typical laptop computer.

"Amateur Fusion" makes the Wall Street Journal

After months in the making, this morning's Wall Street Journal offers a front page story featuring the "amateur fusion" community hosted here at fusor.net:

Many of these hobbyists call themselves "fusioneers," and have formed a loosely knit community that numbers more than 100 world-wide. Getting into their elite "Neutron Club" requires building a tabletop reactor that successfully fuses hydrogen isotopes and glows like a miniature star. Only 42 have qualified; some have T-shirts that read "Fusion -- been there...done that."

Link: Nuclear Ambitions: Amateur Scientists Get a Reaction From Fusion - WSJ.com.

Life with a Nuclear Fusor

Our own Richard Hull is featured in this video feature by Wall Street Journal reporter Sam Schechner:

It's Official

Fusion is now cool with the Geek-o-scenti.  You can get a t-shirt:

One day it's gonna happen. One day the sun will turn the last of the hydrogen in its core into helium, and voila. No more fusion. No more sunshine. Now you have a funny shirt to wear should it happen (and if the human race still comes equipped with a standard package of a torso and two arms in their respective locations).

Now Here's....

... a really bad idea.  Back-yard fission reactors:

Hyperion’s “cartridge” reactor or “nuclear battery” is small, portable and self-contained, which could make it a good fit for remote, rural locations that are disconnected from the power grid. The company says the device can be delivered where it is needed and then sent back to the factory for refueling every five years.

The modular aspect of the device is supposed to bring down the cost of nuclear power — “30 percent” over traditional nuclear in capital costs and a 50 percent reduction in operating costs. The company says the device is also safer than traditional nuclear because: 1). it is sealed and only opened when refueled back at the factory, and 2). because it is buried at the generation site, which cuts down on tampering. We’re not sure about the company’s claims, but the image above looks slightly terrifying.

More Evidence....

...that the future will be a from-the-ground-up affair:  the Makers Faire, sponsored by the publishers of "Make" magazine:  

As important as tinkering has been to the nation’s past, it could become a much bigger deal before long, said David Pescovitz, a research director at the Institute for the Future, a consultancy in Silicon Valley. A new report from the institute argues that the makers could force enormous changes in the ways that goods and services are designed and manufactured. The renewed urge to tinker, along with flexible manufacturing technologies, could shift production from big companies and stores to communities of makers and consumers, Mr. Pescovitz said.

New Links for Newbies

I've added a couple of new links over in the "Newbies" section in the column on the right.  I also had to "number" them to get them in the order I prefer. 

New item #02.1 is a direct link to 2008 update of Tom Ligon's seminal "The World's Simplest Fusion Reactor."  The new version includes a detailed account of Dr. Robert Bussard's  final efforts  with his "WB" (for "Wiffle Ball") reactors prior to his death in October of 2007.

I've also dropped in a link, #05.1 to Richard Hull's post to the forums recounting the "History of the Amateur Fusion Effort." This post is recommended reading for anybody who wants to know how we got here (wherever "here" is...).