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Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

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Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#91

Post by curtis »

cpihl wrote: post #76
curtis wrote: post #69

I think these guys are using MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion). Here's an article about MagLIF research using the Z Machine at Sandia Labs: http://www.nature.com/news/triple-threat-method-sparks-hope-...

Close but with some important differences. We've tried that approach and it has some interesting potential applications but, when it comes to building a power plant that has to last decades, we think the engineering is just too difficult. Instead of pushing on a liner that then pushes on the plasma, we directly push on the plasma with magnetic field. The engineering, while still difficult, is much easier to tackle.

Is this a purely magnetic approach? I recall recently reading about a MagLIF variant that used lasers for pre-heating.

Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#92

Post by cpwright »

Arnor wrote: post #82
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The risk of #3 is that they don't create fusion but they do develop a machine that can emit streams of hot plasma which is then turned into the Navy's weapon of choice for close weapons support on carrier battle groups. Why is that a risk? I'd like to live in a country with that technology, because otherwise other countries will have it and we won't.

It's a risk to the investment firms because it would deplete an upside they get from this investment: the halo effect.

But it would create a financial upside. They are a fund after all, and you'll find plenty of institutions investing in LMT, NOC, and friends.

You might lose some of the halo effect for one audience, but gain it from another. Not everyone things defense (or if you prefer weapons, or arms dealing) is a bad sector to be in.

Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#93

Post by mikeyouse »

baq wrote: post #87
venomsnake wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They break even and are billionaires. They manage to create 2+ EROEI and we are talking trillions.

or dead; possibly both (i dearly hope not for both cases!). a working fusion reactor with advertised properties will disrupt the current political balance of power on the planet. intelligence agencies of certain fossil fuel-driven countries might get orders to not let the situation go that far. hopefully certain other intelligence agencies will be able to protect the effort.

This is needlessly conspiratorial. Oil companies and sovereign wealth funds are some of the biggest investors in renewables on earth. Everyone knows we will reach peak oil at some point, whether through increasingly costly extraction/taxation or increasingly cheap renewable competitors. There is no 'grand conspiracy' to quash alternative energy sources.

Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#94

Post by Finster »

ghshephard wrote: post #84
marcell wrote: post #60

Can someone explain why this team is confident that they can build a commercially viable reactor in 3 years? Conventional wisdom is that nuclear fusion is "decades away". What does this team know that others don't?

The type of Nuclear Fusion they are talking about is quite different than what ITER is working on. It's on a much smaller scale - around 50 MW, which is on the scale of a large diesel generator. The cost is also not that ground breaking - around $0.04/kWh, which is around where Natural Gas and Coal plants are.

And since this will be magnitudes cleaner than natural gas/coal, you might be able to get some "green" alternative energy subsidies from various governments, which might make it more cost effective.

Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#95

Post by swalsh »

TillE wrote: post #48
ChuckMcM wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The risk of #3 is that they don't create fusion but they do develop a machine that can emit streams of hot plasma which is then turned into the Navy's weapon of choice for close weapons support on carrier battle groups. That said, I am looking forward to at least one of the fusion efforts bearing fruit. I'm something of an optimist here but I expect a durable solution to the 'energy problem' to emerge from our develo…

We've already weaponized nuclear fusion into the most destructive bomb ever created. It probably couldn't get a whole lot worse than that. I think there are other paths to sustainable energy, but certainly viable fusion power is the holy grail.

Nuclear bombs aren't that dangerous though... in the grand scheme of things. That's because their use could trigger a chain reaction which creates a virtual apocalypse scenario. Basically ensuring their use impossible.

What's scary is a weapon that can cause massive damage, that we are actually willing to use.

Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#96

Post by Dylan16807 »

soperj wrote: post #78
malandrew wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why this was downvoted. I'm not going to discount the possibility to invent something worse then our most powerful fusion bomb, but if we talk probability here, developing processes that allow greater control is likely to result in a worst case scenario where we have a weapon that is at most as powerful as what we already have, but more focused. IMHO focused fusion destruction is likely to be far m…

I'll never understand being able to kill someone in a humane way(through acts of war). You're killing someone.

humane (hjuːˈmeɪn)

2. inflicting as little pain as possible: a humane killing.

Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#97

Post by Dylan16807 »

rsync wrote: post #83
philwelch wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The risk of #3 is that they don't create fusion but they do develop a machine that can emit streams of hot plasma which is then turned into the Navy's weapon of choice for close weapons support on carrier battle groups. The possibility of pivoting your business model to "building plasma cannons for the Navy" is less of a risk and more of an awesome opportunity. I mean, defense contracting is a bit of a drag and the…

"I mean, defense contracting is a bit of a drag and there's tons of red tape" Not to mention the tremendous moral hazard. I am unclear as to how anyone can function as a reasonable moral actor when they profit from war. Calling it "defense" does not solve that problem.

Generally I would expect direct fire weapons to have much less collateral damage than bombs.

Building a better bullet can save lives.

Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#98

Post by swalsh »

jes5199 wrote: post #51
abstractbill wrote: post #46

YC used to get a lot of criticism for only funding "trivial web companies". You don't hear that so much these days.

I'm not up to date on everything YC funds - what other non-web companies have they funded?

They're doing some non-profits, which i'm not sure if that's what he was getting at... but is still pretty cool.

Re: Y Combinator And Mithril Invest In Helion, A Nuclear Fusion Startup

#99

Post by syntern »

cwal37 wrote: post #77
ForHackernews wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> or even Uber Talk about an understatement. Uber is just a cheaper cab. Commercially viable fusion is a game-changer on a planetary scale: Halting global warming by replacing fossil fuels, hydrogen fuel cells become viable by generating hydrogen through hydrolysis, energy-intensive desalinization plants deliver fresh water for drinking and irrigation.

I was trying to be nice. I'm a strong environmentalist via academics (BS/MS in environmental science), and currently a research analyst in renewable energy economics, so I have very strong feelings (and I like to think a well-grounded sense) about how fucked the environment and incentives around it are. I was giving a (very) charitable reading of the occasional claim that Uber will change the way everything works via…

Maybe offtopic, but what do you think about the economics of plug-in hybrid cars (like the Chevy Volt)?
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