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Launch HN: Maritime Fusion (YC W25) – Fusion Reactors for Ships

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Re: Launch HN: Maritime Fusion (YC W25) – Fusion Reactors for Ships

#121

Post by jtcohen »

rnhmjoj wrote: post #106

> One common question is, why not fission? Fission works technically, but not practically. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) could power ships, but licensing fission reactors on land is already brutally hard and expensive—doing it for vessels moving between international ports with enriched uranium is nearly impossible What makes you think that licensing a fusion reactor will be easier? Safely handling tritium is fantast…

Safely handling tritium is fantastically more complicated that the fuel of a fission power plant - I disagree with this, especially when considering the infinitely long HLW with fission fuel. Handling Tritium isn't easy but it's much more manageable.

Tritium breeding: we will have a FLiBe blanket and breed tritium, but we won't be processing and pulling out the Tritium on board, that will happen on land, so at port you drain the Tritiated FLiBe and replace it with Li-6 enriched FLiBe. There's a few companies working on the Tritium fuel cycle technology that are making great progress.

Re: Launch HN: Maritime Fusion (YC W25) – Fusion Reactors for Ships

#123

Post by logicallee »

What is your plan in case a ship-sized fusion power plant turns out to be impossible, for example if you build one on land and much bigger and much heavier than your target on sea and it just doesn't work, or if you find out before you build it that it won't work, for example when you are running simulations on your design?

Re: Launch HN: Maritime Fusion (YC W25) – Fusion Reactors for Ships

#124

Post by wiml »

nradov wrote: post #92

How do you intend to address the crew training issue? Merchant vessel operators tend to hire low wage seamen with limited technical training, plus a few qualified engineering officers. Marine diesel engines are pretty simple and robust but I would imagine that operating a fusion plant might require more technical training.

Back of the envelope (and some quick googling), a large container ship burns hundreds of tons of fuel per day, at a cost of 700-1000 $/t. Plus, all that fuel occupies tonnage that isn't carrying paying cargo. If you can save on that with a magic new reactor, the cost of a well trained tech on every ship isn't going to break the budget.

Re: Launch HN: Maritime Fusion (YC W25) – Fusion Reactors for Ships

#128

Post by kposehn »

mikeyouse wrote: post #39
Borg3 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3kW output? I think you mean 5MW output... large electric locomotives are in 2.5 to 3.5MW continuos power. Some diesel-electric huge ones are even larger, like 5MW.

Yeah must’ve meant MW.. I’ve got more than one 3KW generator at my house and they can barely run my AC much less a locomotive.

Yes, I meant MW

Re: Launch HN: Maritime Fusion (YC W25) – Fusion Reactors for Ships

#129

Post by usrusr »

simpaticoder wrote: post #69
jimbru wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first ocean-going steamships still had sails - it took many years for steam power to fully displace sail. Presumably a new maritime power system, like fusion, would follow a similar pattern. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat#Sea-_and_Ocean-going

There is something very compelling about a fusion-powered ship also having sails.

Let's be realistic, it would have a diesel engine as a plan B.

But if you like sails: my pet hypothetical technology is wind-driven hydrogen tankers (or tankers for some other e-fuel derived from hydrogen) that sail out empty, then cruise around wherever there is plenty of wind. They'd have a turbine/generator setup driven by the water passing by and use the energy harvested there for filling the tank. Cruise around as long as it takes to nearly fill the tank then return to port (and fill the rest on the way back). There's a lot of oceans where systems like that could cruise around on. (same concept could also be used for desalonation, there it would not only be about energy but also about avoiding local brine concentrations)

Re: Launch HN: Maritime Fusion (YC W25) – Fusion Reactors for Ships

#130

Post by [deleted] »

jtcohen wrote: post #7
echoangle wrote: post #2

How much design on an actual reactor can you do already if the whole technology isn't even demonstrated yet? How many changes are you prepared to do based on the results of the current scientific reactors?

We can get pretty far along! From magnetic system design, vacuum vessel, RF heating system, cryogenic system, tritium fueling, etc we can start making a ton of progress today. The main things we still need to learn that can influence the design is advanced divertor scenarios and what are best material choices for plasma facing components (PFC's).

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