Talk-Polywell.org

I wonder what the relative difficulty/cost of getting fusion neutrons from a Z-pinch machine is compared to getting them from a Hirsch-Farnsworth fusor. Is there any other confinement concept for which the barrier to entry is as low (or nearly so) as the fusor? (An accelerator, perhaps, but that's ...

This documents reports on an ARPA-E sponsored JASON assessment of the “Prospects for Low Cost Fusion Development.” Specifically, the question is whether magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) is a promising approach toward achieving controlled thermonuclear fusion at dramatically lower costs than other appr...

Transient coaxial helical injection (CHI) allows a tokamak to be started without a central solenoid. This seems to be rather interesting and promising.
https://www.pppl.gov/news/2019/04/ready-set-go-scientists-evaluate-novel-technique-firing-fuel-feeds-fusion-reactions

Tokamak Energy has successfully operated ST40 for the first time after the move: Last year’s milestone achievement of 15 million degree temperatures in the ST40 tokamak was achieved with ST40 in our old building at 120 Olympic Avenue on Milton Park. Soon after, the whole tokamak was dismantled and m...

A research centre to support China's push for nuclear fusion power has been approved. It will be able to test large superconducting magnets and filters under operational conditions. China aims to construct a tokamak fusion reactor, known as the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor, and launch its ...

The ARPA-E ALPHA funding project had an annual meeting in 2018. The projects presented one page summary slides and posters during the meeting, but only the one page summaries are available on the home page. Apparently some kind of successor to ALPHA will be announced around September 2019. https://a...

The ENN Energy Research Institute is running the ENN Fusion Engine Challenge (FUGINE) during the time July 2018 to April 2019. ENN Fusion Engine Challenge (FUGINE) is a global program that seeks to attract dedicated scholars and innovators who are devoted to advance fusion research and development. ...

I agree that for conventional equipment 110 m is not that large. But controlling a plasma is a rather different thing. The length of the FRC will be significantly scaled up in the planned machines. Naively one could think that there could be additional complications in controlling a very long FRC, b...

Also interesting that their target for initial plants is mega cities in developing countries as it seems they think it won’t be as cost competitive with other alternatives in the developed world. Also fission is being considered as an option in African and other countries. http://www.world-nuclear-...

A modern coal fired plant has pulverizers, primary air fans, forced and induced draft fans, SCR's, SO2 scrubbers with limestone pulverizers pumps etc., precipitators, a coal field, stacker/ reclaimer coal handling systems, boiler which can be 200 ft tall, not to mention the 500 foot tall stacks to ...

It could also be that they are cautious by targeting a goal that they confidently can meet. If everything works out fine, then it might be possible to push the limit towards higher values of the triple product.

The scale of the TAE Technologies devices is becoming impressive. Norman is about 30 m long, Copernicus is planned to be more than 45 m long and the power plant plan is for a device almost 110 m long. These are linear devices and that gives of course a lot ot benefits, but they will still be rather ...

I thought it was interesting that they have a panel of experts that come in and do peer review every 6 months and report the results to the board. I wonder if the other fusion projects do a similar thing. When EMC2 was funded by the Navy then they had regular reviews by an external panel. Two of th...

Michel Laberge from GF gave the talk General Fusion at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Fusion Power Associates.
http://firefusionpower.org/FPA18_Gen_Fusion_Laberge_web.pdf

Jonathan Carling from Tokamak Energy gave the talk Strategies and Expectations for the 2020s at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Fusion Power Associates.
http://firefusionpower.org/FPA18_Tok_Energy_CARLING.pdf