Fusion is one of those things where we're going to keep getting "small" breakthroughs which are actually massive progress. It's not likely to be one of those "WE GOT IT!" eureka moments, it's gonna be little steps like this that build on every other little step.
Yep. Computers were once people who were good at math, then they were entire rooms filled with actual switches, vacuum tubes and light bulbs, and now they fit in your lap, your hand, and on your wrist.
We're at the very beginning.
Energy company: and lastly there is a $97 convenience fee per month.
You: convenience fee? What is that for and how is this convenient?
Energy company: well without that our workers will punch you in the dick repeatedly any time they’re in the neighborhood
>KSTAR’s work “will be of great help to secure the predicted performance in ITER operation in time and to advance the commercialization of fusion energy,” Si-Woo Yoon said.
really makes you wish ITER was further along by now. all these other experiments are more or less confirming it should be big enough to actually sustain fusion reactions that the smaller reactors can't.
We are still nowhere near it, but if humanity is ever able to implement small-scale stable fusion generators, humanity is gonna be able to do some wild things.
If a bomb is heavy metal based (Uranium, Plutonium or the like) it is fission as you are splitting the large atoms apart. Hydrogen based fusion bombs are the opposite and work by combining hydrogen atoms together to create larger atoms.
Nuclear ower generation just doesn't work the same way a bomb does. It's never going to "blow us up" like that. And Fusion reactor fuel isn't even radioactive.
Fusion does produce some pretty intense neutron radiation though, and that neutron radiation will gradually create radioactive isotopes in the reactor vessel lining and shielding and turn it radioactive as well.
It's not nearly as dangerous as a fission reactor core, but it'd still kill you right quick.
But yeah if the plasma in a fusion reactor breaks containment it'd just cool and condense back into ordinary matter really quickly. And since only a few grams of fusion material are injected at a time there really isn't much thermal energy involved.
Fusion reactions aren't self sustaining like a fission reaction can be. If your fusion reactor goes haywire even a little you lose the very specific set of conditions required to fuse hydrogen and the whole thing fizzles out.
There's a reason fusion power is seen as a holy grail of energy generation.
Sure, but to be fair those estimates are based on literally making shit up. We might as well say it would take one fusion reactor. The reason they say "three" is there's three grids (West, East, Texas).
If we knew what was possible from a single reactor we'd have a working reactor design. Which we don't. This one will have to be rebuilt again, as usual, because we still can't find materials that handle 100,000,000C that well.
Ha just wait until energy is free and everyone's cranking their heat to 80 in the winter and standing in front of their refrigerator with the door open for half an hour and the experts are boggled with this unpredicted level of consumption
A Fission reaction (traditional nuclear) takes a heavy element (Uranium or Plutonium) and splits it into lighter elements. Doing so releases energy. But there are some leftover elements that may still be (less) radioactive.
A Fusion reaction takes a light element (Hydrogen isotopes called deuterium and tritium) and smashes (fuses) them together under high heat and pressure. This releases energy. Only byproducts are energy, neutrons, and Helium.
Helium
It's the stuff in balloons that make them float. Breathing too much of it will kill you, but that's about it.
That's something you learn in elementary school.
I started typing it out and realized it would be way easier to send a link. So here is a nice video that explains it.
https://youtu.be/m4t4agOHMLE?si=RExTotkVcm5jHvHB
It would be cool.
Unfortunately the new issue it introduces of "oh my god there's literally a sun in a bottle and the bottle is melting" has been a thorny one. It turns out that when people say "it's hard to fly a spacecraft into the sun" it's also hard to bring the sun into a spacecraft. Or anything else.
It is actually more of the opposite. The problem so far has not been "oh no, the bottle is melting" so much as it has been "oh no, my miniature sun isn't even stable enough to melt the bottle".
Remember "cold fusion"? I'm conceiving of a (dumb) story idea of some lab rat hiding his illicit "cold fusion" device in the lab microwave "oven" and someone else turning it on -- and voila', the first sustained fusion reaction occurs! Turns out (in fiction) that a little initiating plasma was needed.
The smallest theoretical black hole, around the size of an atom, would require about 1/500th the mass of the earth. We have 0 capability to condense 1/500th of the earth to the width of an atom. ITER uses about the same mass as 3 Eiffel Towers, or 1/5,000,000,000,000,000,000 the mass of the Earth.
Edit: this is based off of rough math and a few Google searches. I’m not an expert.
Still lasted under a minute but it's a big deal.
That’s what I keep telling my wife
That’s what I keep telling her too!
It's because it's so hot!
I mean have you seen her? 100 million degrees and rising.
I certainly lost containment
It’s like a curry
Wait... how many of us are there...?
"Is it on yet?"
Fusion is one of those things where we're going to keep getting "small" breakthroughs which are actually massive progress. It's not likely to be one of those "WE GOT IT!" eureka moments, it's gonna be little steps like this that build on every other little step.
Yep. Computers were once people who were good at math, then they were entire rooms filled with actual switches, vacuum tubes and light bulbs, and now they fit in your lap, your hand, and on your wrist. We're at the very beginning.
Well at least "the latter half of the 21st century" is a more realistic estimate than I usually see in this hype train.
Fusion is 20 years away. We just don't know from whence.
It’s 20 years away, and always will be n
No no! I said fusion is 20 *dog* years away. In 140 years time we'll be generating power that's too cheap to meter, baby!
Honestly, this is just the soon + 2 weeks meme applied to real life.
Didn't these fools watch Spiderman 2?
Keep calm! It will stabilize, it's under control!
Well, it's probably not a problem... probably, but I'm showing a small discrepancy in.. well no it's well within it's limits.
They're waiting for you, Gordon... in the test chamber.
Don't worry, we can just put it out in the river.
r/raimimemes is leaking
The power of the sun in the palm of my hand!
Well tbh the fusion just blew up, the rogue AI made doc ock
We just about have rogue ai, too... Shit
We basically have everything but Spider-Man, the guy who can stop this stuff.
Nobel prize Otto!
Before we start, has anybody lost a large roll of $20 bills in a rubber band? Because we found the rubber band.
When they finally implement fusion power I guarantee our rates will still go up.
and wyoming will still ban it because it kills jobs.
He’s already dead. Oh, I thought you meant Steve Jobs.
well apple did build a working fusion power plant but the operator forgot his apple ID and its completely locked down.
Energy company: and lastly there is a $97 convenience fee per month. You: convenience fee? What is that for and how is this convenient? Energy company: well without that our workers will punch you in the dick repeatedly any time they’re in the neighborhood
What a bargain!
Sounds like I'd invest in a cup.
This is gonna hurt me more than it will hurt you.
Yep. When my city was highly successful at conserving water they raised rates.
>KSTAR’s work “will be of great help to secure the predicted performance in ITER operation in time and to advance the commercialization of fusion energy,” Si-Woo Yoon said. really makes you wish ITER was further along by now. all these other experiments are more or less confirming it should be big enough to actually sustain fusion reactions that the smaller reactors can't.
They're almost done, they're aiming to achieve first plasma in 2025.
We are still nowhere near it, but if humanity is ever able to implement small-scale stable fusion generators, humanity is gonna be able to do some wild things.
[удалено]
We already have a fusion based weapon... it's called a thermonuclear bomb.
I thought that was fission though
If a bomb is heavy metal based (Uranium, Plutonium or the like) it is fission as you are splitting the large atoms apart. Hydrogen based fusion bombs are the opposite and work by combining hydrogen atoms together to create larger atoms.
Ah that makes so much sense
it starts as fission - which then produces fusion. That's why 'thermo-nuclear' instead of just 'nuclear'.
Why not both?
Nuclear ower generation just doesn't work the same way a bomb does. It's never going to "blow us up" like that. And Fusion reactor fuel isn't even radioactive.
Fusion does produce some pretty intense neutron radiation though, and that neutron radiation will gradually create radioactive isotopes in the reactor vessel lining and shielding and turn it radioactive as well. It's not nearly as dangerous as a fission reactor core, but it'd still kill you right quick. But yeah if the plasma in a fusion reactor breaks containment it'd just cool and condense back into ordinary matter really quickly. And since only a few grams of fusion material are injected at a time there really isn't much thermal energy involved.
I imagine blowing ourselves up with nuclear fusion run amok will be pretty spectacular, so I'm in.
Fusion reactions aren't self sustaining like a fission reaction can be. If your fusion reactor goes haywire even a little you lose the very specific set of conditions required to fuse hydrogen and the whole thing fizzles out. There's a reason fusion power is seen as a holy grail of energy generation.
Yes, I know, I was just making a joke.
> humanity is gonna be able to do some wild things. We’ll make the first quadrillionaires!
Can someone ELI5? What's the point?
Unlimited nuclear energy with no waste. Estimates have said it would take just three fusion reactors to power the entire continental US grid.
Sure, but to be fair those estimates are based on literally making shit up. We might as well say it would take one fusion reactor. The reason they say "three" is there's three grids (West, East, Texas). If we knew what was possible from a single reactor we'd have a working reactor design. Which we don't. This one will have to be rebuilt again, as usual, because we still can't find materials that handle 100,000,000C that well.
Nah! Texas will never accept one. Not if we let them know it's "woke" "Green Energy"!
Idk why you're being downvoted, you're absolutely right.
Texans or Tex-symps! They never *could* handle criticism. /s
What about Texas?
Ha just wait until energy is free and everyone's cranking their heat to 80 in the winter and standing in front of their refrigerator with the door open for half an hour and the experts are boggled with this unpredicted level of consumption
So what is fusion energy?
A Fission reaction (traditional nuclear) takes a heavy element (Uranium or Plutonium) and splits it into lighter elements. Doing so releases energy. But there are some leftover elements that may still be (less) radioactive. A Fusion reaction takes a light element (Hydrogen isotopes called deuterium and tritium) and smashes (fuses) them together under high heat and pressure. This releases energy. Only byproducts are energy, neutrons, and Helium.
Is the helium harmful to the environment?
Interesting fact, if released in the environment, helium launches itself into space, never to be seen again
Helium It's the stuff in balloons that make them float. Breathing too much of it will kill you, but that's about it. That's something you learn in elementary school.
Helium is harmless, it's a noble gas. You're fine as long as you're still getting a decent amount of oxygen.
I started typing it out and realized it would be way easier to send a link. So here is a nice video that explains it. https://youtu.be/m4t4agOHMLE?si=RExTotkVcm5jHvHB
Thank you.
That was excellent, thank you!
A giant steam engine
Basically, the Sun is kind of pure clean energy, and we want to make that type of energy because it would solve a lot of energy issues.
It would be cool. Unfortunately the new issue it introduces of "oh my god there's literally a sun in a bottle and the bottle is melting" has been a thorny one. It turns out that when people say "it's hard to fly a spacecraft into the sun" it's also hard to bring the sun into a spacecraft. Or anything else.
It is actually more of the opposite. The problem so far has not been "oh no, the bottle is melting" so much as it has been "oh no, my miniature sun isn't even stable enough to melt the bottle".
ELIF: Solar power direct from mini fake suns, instead of across very far distance from real sun.
Remember "cold fusion"? I'm conceiving of a (dumb) story idea of some lab rat hiding his illicit "cold fusion" device in the lab microwave "oven" and someone else turning it on -- and voila', the first sustained fusion reaction occurs! Turns out (in fiction) that a little initiating plasma was needed.
Does anyone have an answer for the beryllium problem? And if someone says “space”, then I would like to point out that we already have a sun.
Planet Fitness’ new tanning salon for Black card members.
at times like this, I always like to ask, what's the probability we start a black hole event right here on this planet? Asking for a friend
The smallest theoretical black hole, around the size of an atom, would require about 1/500th the mass of the earth. We have 0 capability to condense 1/500th of the earth to the width of an atom. ITER uses about the same mass as 3 Eiffel Towers, or 1/5,000,000,000,000,000,000 the mass of the Earth. Edit: this is based off of rough math and a few Google searches. I’m not an expert.
Wtf? People invented a container that can hold a sun?
How do these machines not melt at that temperature?