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Sandia aiming for break-even

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:50 pm
by Ivy Matt
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 124210.htm
"The experimental results -- the degree to which the imploding liner maintained its cylindrical integrity throughout its implosion -- were consistent with results from earlier Sandia computer simulations," said lead researcher Ryan McBride."These predicted MagLIF will exceed scientific break-even."
Sandia researchers intend to test the fully integrated MagLIF concept by the close of 2013.

Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 1:38 pm
by vernes
Came here to post this:
https://share.sandia.gov/news/resources ... ar_fusion/

Guess it's thesame.

Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 3:16 pm
by rcain
excellent. 2013 it is then for live fuel. see what happens.

will be a long while though before this becomes commercial, even if/when they hit Q. have long thought engineering challenges of imploding liner technology + energy take-off technology need to catch up - from production point of view also.

get the feeling whenever fusion does eventually hit the shops, it'll be rolled out in much the same way as fission - massive fuel processing/reprocessing, infrastructure and big bucks. military there too.

possibly only way it will happen - if enough traditional, big/institutional/governmental investors predict an adequate yield and a big enough/secure enough pot.

surprised the nuclear reprocessing industry aren't already investing heavily in it - they have the most to lose after all and are best positioned to take advantage. they must be feeling pretty vulnerable at present - post Fukushima/Chernobyl. must have gone tits up for them.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:42 am
by TheRadicalModerate
Nice to see MagLIF proceeding apace. This could be a big fat hairy deal once the Z-machine is upgraded to higher currents.

Meanwhile, the picture with the article just cries out for a caption contest:

Image

(Attempt #1)
"It's alive! It's aliiiiiiive!"

(Attempt #2)
"All the ganglia, the nerves! There are a million of them! What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?"

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:07 am
by GIThruster
I told you there was one missing!

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:08 am
by rcain
'mmmmm....shiney....' [quote: Homer Simpson]

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 2:16 am
by Skipjack
I discovered it: "the sexatron" ;)

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:17 am
by ladajo
The lecherous grin really does worry me.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 3:44 pm
by paperburn1
My "Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator" is almost ready

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 4:02 pm
by Aero
"Gearhead teleportation experiment partially successful."

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 4:41 pm
by DeltaV
Local Physics Student Builds Fusion-Powered Beer Keg In Frat House Basement

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:00 pm
by ladajo
Freak Gas Main explosion vaporizes half a residential block. Witnesses say destruction was preceeded by a really bright flash and what they thought was maniacal laughter. Lost in the blast was a local college physics student with a reportedly bright future. Authorities do not expect to find remains.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 8:18 pm
by choff
Wonder if the FoFu folks have considered preheating the gas with lasers like Sandia?

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:43 pm
by zapkitty
choff wrote:Wonder if the FoFu folks have considered preheating the gas with lasers like Sandia?
Actually, LPPX-1 (I like that better than FoFu but that's just me :) ) has already exceeded boron fusion temps without expensive and finicky lasers.

They've achieved sufficient confinement time and temps and are working on density... which lasers can't really help with in a DPF device without trying to turn it into something else.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:01 pm
by rcain
zapkitty wrote:
choff wrote:Wonder if the FoFu folks have considered preheating the gas with lasers like Sandia?
Actually, LPPX-1 (I like that better than FoFu but that's just me :) ) has already exceeded boron fusion temps without expensive and finicky lasers.

They've achieved sufficient confinement time and temps and are working on density... which lasers can't really help with in a DPF device without trying to turn it into something else.
good point.

LPP are still my personal favourite in the race.

but they've still got quite a lot of things to get right before they strike gold.

there's the whole business of funding, scaling up, etc, also.

still. nice problems to have. i hope they get there.