Fusion Milestone Reached for NIF Fusion

The National ignition facility, Livermore, California - have achieved something that no other fusion technology or facility the world over has managed to achieve yet - Getting out more energy than is put in to initiate fusion....

During an experiment in late September, the amount of energy released through the fusion reaction exceeded the amount of energy being absorbed by the fuel - the first time this had been achieved at any fusion facility in the world.

BBC Article

Thoughts? A Major milestone towards sustainable fusion energy, no?

I always thought that some hybrid technology of Magnetic Confinement with Laser Initiated Fusion such as NIF would probably be the way to go.... who knows, perhaps in the future it will be - but this is encouraging to say the least.

reply to post by Quadraphobe


Lets look a little closer at the claim...

The BBC understands that during an experiment in late September, the amount of energy released through the fusion reaction exceeded the amount of energy being absorbed by the fuel - the first time this had been achieved at any fusion facility in the world.

Ahh, thats not the whole story...

This is a step short of the lab's stated goal of "ignition", where nuclear fusion generates as much energy as the lasers supply. This is because known "inefficiencies" in different parts of the system mean not all the energy supplied through the laser is delivered to the fuel.

Still short. I guess it depends upon how you fuse it in your mind.

reply to post by Quadraphobe

I don't think it is the first time but, most reactors are research oriented so, they don't try for productive cycles.

The real problem is how to make the reactor not become brittle and disintegrate from the massive radiation which we can't do yet. H3 promises to lower the radiation to more manageable levels.

To the moon Elon Musk, it is your destiny!

One day.... Sadly we all thought we'd have flying cars and limitless fusion reactors by now already. Someday though, someday...

Step in the right direction.