'Star in a Jar' Fusion Reactor Works and Promises Infinite Energy

I found this exhilarating! The achievements of today is beyond anything we could have imagined 40 yrs ago.

I hope they keep this up, who knows where we could be in the next 20.


www.livescience.com...

By Glenn McDonald, Seeker | December 9, 2016 11:40am ET

For several decades now, scientists from around the world have been pursuing a ridiculously ambitious goal: They hope to develop a nuclear fusion reactor that would generate energy in the same manner as the sun and other stars, but down here on Earth.

Incorporated into terrestrial power plants, this "star in a jar" technology would essentially provide Earth with limitless clean energy, forever. And according to new reports out of Europe this week, we just took another big step toward making it happen.

In a study published in the latest edition of the journal Nature Communications, researchers confirmed that Germany's Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) fusion energy device is on track and working as planned. The space-age system, known as a stellerator, generated its first batch of hydrogen plasma when it was first fired up earlier this year. The new tests basically give scientists the green light to proceed to the next stage of the process.

It works like this: Unlike a traditional fission reactor, which splits atoms of heavy elements to generate energy, a fusion reactor works by fusing the nuclei of lighter atoms into heavier atoms. The process releases massive amounts of energy and produces no radioactive waste. The "fuel" used in a fusion reactor is simple hydrogen, which can be extracted from water.

Is that the entire article? Do you have a link?

I started to post this a few days ago but decided (for me anyway) all I have heard are about how close, how if just another few billion and 20 more years the dream can be realized. When the first plant is built for commercial use then I will believe it. Otherwise S&F for the effort.

a reply to: eNumbra

Crap I always seem to forget the damn link when posting.

Done!

a fusion reactor works by fusing the nuclei of lighter atoms into heavier atoms. The process releases massive amounts of energy and produces no radioactive waste.

Massive energy is radiation, would see how much wasteland it creates if the genie 'gets out' of its 'bottle'.

Imagine having a 'small' thermo nuclear device, always on, trapped in your basement.

a reply to: 727Sky

I hear you,and I think we could achieve it in our life times if the money was put into this instead of endless wars, of which achieve nothing.

Thanks Man

dp
...

A dream come true but much like Al Gores predictions, it always seems to be 20 more years. Keep hope alive I guess...

a reply to: intrptr

Now that would definately be a bad thing.

Ok what about space travel past the asteroid radiation belt?

What are your thoughts on that one?

a reply to: WUNK22

Yeah but Al Gore is a bonehead. He was proven wrong with his input on Global Warming being due to cows. Idiot 101.

a reply to: JesusXst

without FTL that might be pointless anyways

originally posted by: jellyrev
a reply to: JesusXst

without FTL that might be pointless anyways

fluid taunting lifeforce?

originally posted by: JesusXst
a reply to: intrptr

Now that would definately be a bad thing.

Ok what about space travel past the asteroid radiation belt?

What are your thoughts on that one?

They already utilize fission reactors to generate power. Called RTG's, they are used on space probes that go further than the suns (solar) power can be useful.

Voyagers had them, I think cassini and others as well. You don't want to know what I think about lofting radiation into space, I'm anti man made nuke, generally.

RTG

If fully realized, needless to say, this could change the world.

The only impediment, as always, is human nature and the will to power. Whichever nation develops this (or renders it cost effective first) could be seen as an existential threat to all others if they don't share this technology. If it's developed on a shared, international basis, will the benefits also be shared with developing and third world countries? And needless to say, with such immense energy also comes the potential for weaponization.

As ever, the result depends on which side of our natures win out. I always hope for the best, though. And if fully developed and deployed - if we prove worthy of it - it really could radically alter our planet's future for the better.

Peace.

originally posted by: intrptr

a fusion reactor works by fusing the nuclei of lighter atoms into heavier atoms. The process releases massive amounts of energy and produces no radioactive waste.

Massive energy is radiation, would see how much wasteland it creates if the genie 'gets out' of its 'bottle'.

Imagine having a 'small' thermo nuclear device, always on, trapped in your basement.

Not much will happen actually. The plasma in those reactors has a very low density, so the amount of "fuel" is very small, like a few grams.

a reply to: intrptr

lol ok, I appreciate that response.

I'll check out the link you left

You're right about that, it would be a threat depending on what Nation had hold of this kind of technology. The Men in power so far, haven't proved worthy to be in the place they're at.

We can only wait, once more, to see what good the World brings. I hope things change soon, because we're all tired and beaten by the way things have turned completely left field in the past few years, way out of the ball park to say the very least.

originally posted by: moebius

originally posted by: intrptr

a fusion reactor works by fusing the nuclei of lighter atoms into heavier atoms. The process releases massive amounts of energy and produces no radioactive waste.

Massive energy is radiation, would see how much wasteland it creates if the genie 'gets out' of its 'bottle'.

Imagine having a 'small' thermo nuclear device, always on, trapped in your basement.

Not much will happen actually. The plasma in those reactors has a very low density, so the amount of "fuel" is very small, like a few grams.

Those are small experimental sized reactors. They always sell it that way. The first fission reactors were promised to be clean and lo polluting, too. The ones that blew in Fukushima had hundreds of tons of fissionable material in their cores and fuel pools...

By the time they pronounce production model fusion reactors they will be large too. I donna fancy having small suns kept in bottles dotting the horizon.

this is old news. One of our nations weapons designers have a truck sized fusion reactor in the works. they just have to fin d a way to MAKE MONEY off of it.

originally posted by: yuppa
this is old news. One of our nations weapons designers have a truck sized fusion reactor in the works. they just have to fin d a way to MAKE MONEY off of it.

That one's pretty straightforward.

Once you've got the thing to fuse with D-T, you're a monstrous step ahead. But then you have to deal with engineering the thing for energy production and holding together long enough to be useful commercially, which is another bag of snakes.

Unless you can do p-B11 fusion, in which case a lot of other issues deal with themselves. But that one's hugely more difficult.