Compact nuclear fusion reactor is 'very likely to work,' studies suggest • Hacker News Board

Re: Compact nuclear fusion reactor is 'very likely to work,' studies suggest

#371

Post by pfdietz » Thu, Oct 01, 2020, 11:19 PM UTC

galangalalgol wrote: post #310

DennisP wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have plenty of lithium. All D-T fusion designs breed tritium from lithium, using the high-energy neutrons from the reaction.

I assume very little lithium is actually needed, will the dramatically increased demand from battery manufacturing affect feasibility?

DT fusion reactors require 6Li, which is 7.6% of natural lithium. The other 92.4% is 7Li. This "depleted lithium" would work in batteries just fine.

Re: Compact nuclear fusion reactor is 'very likely to work,' studies suggest

#372

Post by ClumsyPilot » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 12:18 AM UTC

woeirua wrote: post #321

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you so sure ITER is obsolete? For instance, what prevents ITER to be upgraded with better magnets, like the ones used here, and to achieve higher power?

The video makes it pretty clear, magnetic field strength is directly related to the overall dimensions of the reactor. If you upgrade the magnets, then the physical dimensions would need to change as well, which at this point would be very difficult seeing as how they're already pouring concrete...

That was not my takeaway - I understood that it merely allows you to achieve higher magnetic field and plasma density in the same volume. It does not force you to use a smaller volume. Am I getting it wrong?

Re: Compact nuclear fusion reactor is 'very likely to work,' studies suggest

#373

Post by FriskyAlter » Fri, Oct 02, 2020, 8:20 AM UTC

Retric wrote: post #367

FriskyAlter wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"probably" 17000 in 70 years against 700 000 000 total cancer death. Pack it up, boys. And if anything, that shows how bad nuclear weapons are, not the power plants.

The 17000 is US numbers and the US is a long way from 10 million cancer deaths per year. The point stands fine without using misleading numbers.

There are not many countries who did nuclear weapon tests and even those that did, did not do it in such numbers. Maybe russia, but I doubt that would push the numbers much.