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Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details

aviationweek.com

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Re: Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details

#11

Post by TeMPOraL »

cpwright wrote: post #8
[deleted] wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

The article certainly does, even if Lockheed does not. "U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers run on nuclear power, but they have large fusion reactors on board that have to be replaced on a regular cycle." US naval vessels have fission reactors, not fusion. I'm also pretty sure that although they would refuel a reactor, that rather than replace the reactor they'll likely replace the ship.

As etiam points out[0], some of them do carry fusion reactors, but they are not designed to generate electricity.

[0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8458426

Re: Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details

#12

Post by lnanek2 »

The article is completely wrong about US Navy ships having fusion reactors. They have fission reactors, not fusion. I wonder if they are even reporting the breakthrough right since they clearly don't know the difference. For all we know the breakthrough may be smaller fission reactors too, which isn't a big deal at all.

Re: Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details

#14

Post by phkahler »

ihnorton wrote: post #6

Content-free article, but presumably it is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_beta_fusion_reactor This is not the first time they have gone public with this - Charles Chase gave a talk at Google X last year, recorded and publicly-available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsRFVbcyUY

I read the wikipedia link. How do they get the energy out? What are the byproducts? etc...

Re: Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details

#16

Post by aqme28 »

etiam wrote: post #9

> U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers run on nuclear power, but they have large fusion reactors on board that have to be replaced on a regular cycle. sigh To the extent this is true I suspect those "large fusion reactors" are tuned not so much for generating electricity and a great deal for annihilating whatever the carrying missile is pointed at. But never mind fuzzy thinking at Reuters right now. This is amazing…

Looks like they issued the correction

> U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers run on nuclear power, but they have large fission reactors on board that have to be replaced on a regular cycle.

Re: Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details

#18

Post by chton »

ihnorton wrote: post #6

Content-free article, but presumably it is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_beta_fusion_reactor This is not the first time they have gone public with this - Charles Chase gave a talk at Google X last year, recorded and publicly-available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsRFVbcyUY

It sounds very similar to the way Helion Energy does it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helion_Energy). Do you know what the major differences are?
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