This is huge: Truck-sized fusion reactor a reality within a decade

The potential of this becoming a reality cannot be overstated. The impact on markets, on the cost of mining, on the cost of transport, and on the cost of manufacturing would be disruptive to say the least. It would be a real paradigm shift in terms of access to cheap energy and in decentralisation.

Note that this has come out of Lockheed Martin so confidence that they can make it happen is higher than if it what some random lab or startup.

Note also that this is fusion, not fission like a typical nuclear reactor. This is a holy grail of energy generation.

The full article is quite long, but here's an extract:

 

Sounds so very promising...hope they can get it to market.

One question. on the acronym..."The CFR is expected to have a beta limit ratio of one. "We should be able to go to 100% or beyond," he adds.

Does this mean 100% conversion of mass to energy? If it does and it comes to pass ,then forget "Water into wine" or the alchemist's dream."Base metals to Gold".

This will save us all some serious dosh One day

 

Dealing with the radioactive byproducts (which should be far, far less than fission) means I have doubts this will result in decentralised generation.

 

Is there a working prototype or is it just ideas at this point? Fusion has been talked about for a long time now, and while it seems inevitable it will eventually come about, there have been a ton of claims that have come to nothing significant so far.

I want to see fusion as much as anyone. I think it would make a huge difference to society but claims are just claims. Show us a working device. I won't get too excited until then.

 

Well, I think you just did.

Sounds like they are on the hunt for more government funding to me.

A media splash to solicit the desired reaction from the politicians with the cash ... ? They've got a nice self-promotional video to go with it and a advertorial website too...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlYClniDFkM[/youtube]



Source: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/compact-fusion.html

Makes you wonder who their target audience is for all that promotion. Lockheed Martin...hmmm...



Not like they have any history of keeping technology hidden from the public, are utterly dependent on government funding or might have ulterior motives.

 

They mention the radioactive byproducts are very minimal compared to a typical fission reactor. I don't know more details than are in the article, but it seems the only radioactive bit is tritium which decays after several years. There's already widespread, decentralised radioactive waste management infrastructure in place for handling waste from hospitals where radioisotopes are used for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Certainly the initial use will for highly specific applications, most likely for military requirements and where excessive power is necessary to extract dwindling oil reserves from low-yield, marginal viability deposits (out on an oil rig for example). Another potential candidate for early adoption would be desalination plants for generating fresh water.

After a couple of generations of development, I'm sure they would develop methods of safely compartmentalising the radioactive modules for ease and safety of replacement, allowing for greater use of the generators in many more locations. Even greater motivation for decentralisation may come if there is ever a major solar storm that brings down the current electrical grid for an extended period.

 

I'll give you one very simple motive for going public with this.

Another team has gone public with something that may be similar. No doubt they would prefer to keep this as a black project, but their hand was forced and they needed to ensure the intellectual property was registered. It could very well be in the US interest to tie up the IP via patents rather than let another nation gain financial control over such a ground-breaking technology given the broader consequences if it pans out.

 

Energy supply is fundamental to national security and is also a weapon of war. Remember what happened when an oil embargo was placed on Japan.

It makes sense that LM have been researching this and that it has ties to skunk works black projects.

 

Skepticism is a virtue

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/scientists-bash-lockheed-on-nuclear-fusion-2014-10

Fusion research is ongoing and has been for a long time and the engineering problems are gradually being solved. Whether a bunch of military welfare whores like LM decide to involve themselves will probably be irrelevant to the ultimate outcome.

 

Oh, I know... You just can't register a patent these days without a multi-level marketing campaign!

No doubt you've figured it all out, and it's got nothing to do with lobbying politicians for funding. Scientists are above cares of money and politicians are too wise to be manipulated into misallocating public money.

 

Talk of superconducting magnets and containing that heat inside a truck is interesting - especially since heat is the enemy of superconductors. But if they can do it, it would be a real game changer.

The byproduct is helium (and a spare neutron rattling around). They start with Deuterium/Tritium, and Fuse it into Helium. As long as you don't need a fission reaction to get it started, there should be no dangerous by-products.

 

I wonder what abundant cheap energy will do to the world's economies? Gold and silver may drop in value substantially when you can pull the stuff out of the ground and refine even marginal ore deposits with minimal costs. Maybe even filter sea water for it.

 

Tell me it needs 500kg of silver?

 

So...you humans are skipping maybe a century's worth of discoveries in fundamental physics required to manufacture a device capable of that energy output/throughput?
That or Skunkworks took a shortcut reverse-engineering a functional fusion reactor...no, they couldn't have, could they?

The best comparison I can come up with is trying to build an airliner without a thorough understanding of Newtonian mechanics or the technological know-how to create bi-metallic alloys.

File this under 'skeptical'.

 

I'll be more excited when they're done it.

 

Don't Lockheed Martin have early access to your alien technologies??

 

And then it will be too late. Get excited when you know it is highly probable, but just before everyone else does. In this way you can divest yourself of assets that will be negatively impacted, and invest in areas that will benefit. This is why it's worthwhile thinking about early, even if it doesn't pan out. You'll be ahead of the crowd.

 

If they make more energy we will find more ways to use it up faster.

Air conditioning a house is a lot more expensive than properly designing and insulating a house and keeping the windows and doors shut but while energy was cheap there was no need for efficiency. I quite liked the idea of energy running out, it sort of made companies think about how to do things better.

Anyway, as we all know, if new cheaper energy sources are found the energy company just raises prices to maintain their profits.

 

?? If they find cheaper sources they can raise profits by charging the same and maintain profits by cutting prices.

 

The '47 mishap was almost a total wreck. Almost nothing could have been salvaged or reverse-engineered after that intense atmospheric entry.

Then again, don't know if there have been any unwilling or intentional technology transfers since '47.