Forumite Members General Topics Tech Makers & Builders How-To ITER progress

Viewing 5 posts - 21 through 25 (of 25 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #69944
    Ed PEd P
    Participant
      @edps
      Forumite Points: 39

      Iter states that it will capture the heat from the neutrons that wander out of the plasma. I guess the South Koreans found that the movement of neutrons out of the plasma was too slow.

      The helium nucleus carries an electric charge which will be subject to the magnetic fields of the tokamak and remain confined within the plasma, contributing to its continued heating. However, approximately 80 percent of the energy produced is carried away from the plasma by the neutron which has no electrical charge and is therefore unaffected by magnetic fields. The neutrons will be absorbed by the surrounding walls of the tokamak, where their kinetic energy will be transferred to the walls as heat.

      In ITER, this heat will be captured by cooling water circulating in the vessel walls and eventually dispersed through cooling towers. In the type of fusion power plant envisaged for the second half of this century, the heat will be used to produce steam and—by way of turbines and alternators—electricity.

      #69947
      Ed PEd P
      Participant
        @edps
        Forumite Points: 39

        Some say the future is not with Iter’s Tokamak but with the German Stellarator, as it has better plasma containment and up-time.

        link

        #70365
        Ed PEd P
        Participant
          @edps
          Forumite Points: 39

          This could be a good year for nuclear fusion if the forthcoming US press release holds good.

          Washington — The U.S. Department of Energy said Sunday it would announce a “major scientific breakthrough” this week, after media reported a federal laboratory had recently achieved a major milestone in nuclear fusion research. The Financial Times reported Sunday that scientists in the California-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) had achieved a “net energy gain” from an experimental fusion reactor.”

          #70367
          keith with the teefkeith with the teef
          Participant
            @thinktank
            Forumite Points: 0

            Cool. Or hot should we say.

            #70369
            Ed PEd P
            Participant
              @edps
              Forumite Points: 39

              Apparently it is the NIF laser smashing route rather than the Iter/Tokamak technology. As a side comment apparently the single capsule used in the experiment costs an absolute fortune so a huge amount of engineering work is required before this can be viewed as a commercial route.

            Viewing 5 posts - 21 through 25 (of 25 total)
            • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.