The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Energy => Topic started by: Mechanicos on June 24, 2016, 12:54:54 pm
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(http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/corporate/photo/features/2014/fusion/WEABT-header.jpg) Compact Fusion Its closer then you think.
It’s no secret that our Skunk Works® team often finds itself on the cutting edge of technology. As they work to develop a source of infinite energy, our engineers are looking to the biggest natural fusion reactor for inspiration – the sun. By containing the power of the sun in a small magnetic bottle, we are on the fast track to developing nuclear fusion reactors to serve the world’s ever-growing energy needs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlYClniDFkM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlYClniDFkM)
FUSION VS. FISSION
More than 50 years ago, nuclear power through fission was the excitement of its day. People tried using it to power almost everything, even planes. In the end, operational hurdles prevented fission from widespread use.
While fission continues to power our nuclear reactors today, fusion offers a cleaner, safer source of energy.
Fission occurs when one atom is split into two smaller fragments, creating an explosion of sorts and resulting in the release of heat energy.
Fusion is the process by which a gas is heated up and separated into its ions and electrons. When the ions get hot enough, they can overcome their mutual repulsion and collide, fusing together. When this happens, they release a lot of energy – about one million times more powerful than a chemical reaction and 3-4 times more powerful than a fission reaction.
Energy created through fusion is 3-4 times more powerful than the energy released by fission.
HOW COMPACT FUSION WORKS
Nuclear fusion is the process by which the sun works. Our concept will mimic that process within a compact magnetic container and release energy in a controlled fashion to produce power we can use.
A reactor small enough to fit on a truck could provide enough power for a small city of up to 100,000 people
Building on more than 60 years of fusion research, the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works approach to compact fusion is a high beta concept. This concept uses a high fraction of the magnetic field pressure, or all of its potential, so we can make our devices 10 times smaller than previous concepts. That means we can replace a device that must be housed in a large building with one that can fit on the back of a truck.
The compact size is the reason that we believe we will be able to create fusion technology quickly. The smaller the size of the device, the easier it is to build up momentum and develop it faster. Instead of taking five years to design and build a concept, it takes only a few months. If we undergo a few of these testing and refinement cycles, we will be able to develop a prototype within the same five year timespan.
To mimic the energy created by the sun and control it here on earth, we’re creating a concept that can be contained using a magnetic bottle. The bottle is able to handle extremely hot temperatures, reaching hundreds of millions of degrees. By containing this reaction, we can release it in a controlled fashion to create energy we can use.
The heat energy created using this compact fusion reactor will drive turbine generators by replacing the combustion chambers with simple heat exchangers. In turn, the turbines will then generate electricity or the propulsive power for a number of applications.
(http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/corporate/photo/features/2014/fusion/fusion-photo-engineer.jpg)
[more Pictures, videos, details etc. at the Lockhead-Martin site]
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/compact-fusion.html
This is Lock-head Martin aka the Skunk Works saying we are less then 5 years from production fusion energy systems that can fit in a truck. Can you say game changer?
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Kinda surprised nobody has commented yet on the fact Lock-heed Martin a well known super high tech research and development firm with a track record of creating the cutting-edge of military technology for decades has not only confirmed Fusion but is less then 5 years from commercial production of fusion power plants that can fit in a truck and power a city of 100K homes. To me this is a massive game changer. Politically, culturally, technology, etc would all be affected.
For example, this technology if actualized and made commercial could destroy OPEC's and other Arab power bases that are dependent on oil sales.
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Kinda surprised nobody has commented yet on the fact Lock-heed Martin a well known super high tech research and development firm with a track record of creating the cutting-edge of military technology for decades has not only confirmed Fusion but is less then 5 years from commercial production of fusion power plants that can fit in a truck and power a city of 100K homes. To me this is a massive game changer. Politically, culturally, technology, etc would all be affected.
For example, this technology if actualized and made commercial could destroy OPEC's and other Arab power bases that are dependent on oil sales.
Most likely because RTM fusion power has been "just around the corner" for decades, without anything coming of it. Given that, it's probably a case of "we'll believe it when we actually see it."
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Most likely because RTM fusion power has been "just around the corner" for decades, without anything coming of it. Given that, it's probably a case of "we'll believe it when we actually see it."
I'm in that category too. What makes this one different is this is the Skunk Works who have a reputation for actually doing the technologically impossible - not some outlier in someplace we never heard of.
Anybody else I would be dismissing it.
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Kinda surprised nobody has commented yet on the fact Lock-heed Martin a well known super high tech research and development firm with a track record of creating the cutting-edge of military technology for decades has not only confirmed Fusion but is less then 5 years from commercial production of fusion power plants that can fit in a truck and power a city of 100K homes. To me this is a massive game changer. Politically, culturally, technology, etc would all be affected.
For example, this technology if actualized and made commercial could destroy OPEC's and other Arab power bases that are dependent on oil sales.
The head of LockMart's fusion research team gave a presentation to engineers in my company (a large fission reactor supplier) 2 years ago. It was an interesting and informative talk. From what I remember, he said they were aiming to have a working prototype by 2020 and the first commercial application 2 years later.
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It would be awesome to see. Something that compact could power a space station or a Mars base...
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The compact size is the reason that we believe we will be able to create fusion technology quickly. The smaller the size of the device, the easier it is to build up momentum and develop it faster. Instead of taking five years to design and build a concept, it takes only a few months. If we undergo a few of these testing and refinement cycles, we will be able to develop a prototype within the same five year timespan.
Bafflegab, written by an English major who's trying to convey something heard but not fully understood.
I can see how the lower intrinsic energies involved with a smaller device would make it easier to work with -- there would no doubt be time advantages in building and testing it.
However, the time required to address the underlying technical challenges is probably not scalable by size.....
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Kinda surprised nobody has commented yet on the fact Lock-heed Martin a well known super high tech research and development firm with a track record of creating the cutting-edge of military technology for decades has not only confirmed Fusion but is less then 5 years from commercial production of fusion power plants that can fit in a truck and power a city of 100K homes. To me this is a massive game changer. Politically, culturally, technology, etc would all be affected.
For example, this technology if actualized and made commercial could destroy OPEC's and other Arab power bases that are dependent on oil sales.
Great analysis. Smaller units that are cheaper to build makes the system that much more attractive and easier to permit. Instead of building a massive nuclear plant that puts out mega-watts of power at tremendous cost, a smaller plant to serve a specific community could be revolutionary.
:beer:
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Saw this a few years ago, IIRC they were hoping to show something in 2017 and have a commercially viable product a few years later.
I agree about skunkworks being behind the project lends a great deal of credibility.
It won't put opec out of business, since very little oil is used in powering the grid, but it would sure dent the renewables, coal and even nat gas.
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Saw this a few years ago, IIRC they were hoping to show something in 2017 and have a commercially viable product a few years later.
I agree about skunkworks being behind the project lends a great deal of credibility.
It won't put opec out of business, since very little oil is used in powering the grid, but it would sure dent the renewables, coal and even nat gas.
Consider how much oil is used in transportation. If these become reality all shipping and large ships, railroads, etc. could be powered by such. I agree it will also cut into renewable since it would likely be more cost saving and stable.
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Consider how much oil is used in transportation. If these become reality all shipping and large ships, railroads, etc. could be powered by such. I agree it will also cut into renewable since it would likely be more cost saving and stable.
There is going to be a challenge to be cheaper than the trend to use LNG.
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Consider how much oil is used in transportation. If these become reality all shipping and large ships, railroads, etc. could be powered by such. I agree it will also cut into renewable since it would likely be more cost saving and stable.
How familiar are you with Thorium?? From what I have read, Thorium could be even more useful than "cold fusion"...
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How familiar are you with Thorium?? From what I have read, Thorium could be even more useful than "cold fusion"...
As long as the feds keep giving the wind companies a 3 cents/KWH operating subsidy, they will keep undercutting the coal/gas/nuclear plants by paying users to take their electricity while still making a profit.
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Also, no one has built a large scale thorium nuke yet, so we have no idea about the operational problems. The only thorium fired plant that was built was a small one at Oak Ridge that ran only 4 years and used U-233 bred from Thorium-232 for one year. A small commercial demonstrator needs to be built and operated for several years to get a good idea of operational problems. Also, the infrastructure for mining and processing thorium does not exist and would have to be built. This is not cheap, and would take 10 or more years to get established.
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How familiar are you with Thorium?? From what I have read, Thorium could be even more useful than "cold fusion"...
Thorium Reactors coupled with Plutonium Reactors in a roughly 10:1 ratio would be an ideal for fission based nuclear, if Fusion is possible that eliminates the need for Fission reactors.
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How familiar are you with Thorium?? From what I have read, Thorium could be even more useful than "cold fusion"...
Thorium Reactors coupled with Plutonium Reactors in a roughly 10:1 ratio would be an ideal for fission based nuclear, if Fusion is possible that eliminates the need for Fission reactors.
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Thorium Reactors coupled with Plutonium Reactors in a roughly 10:1 ratio would be an ideal for fission based nuclear, if Fusion is possible that eliminates the need for Fission reactors.
A couple of years ago I read about a design that was in work for a pebble-bed style small thorium reactor. Essentially it fit into a silo in the ground and its core would be good for 20 years, at which time you could remove the core and replace it, relatively easily, as compared to a years-long process to refuel a commercial reactor.
Interesting stuff, considering Thorium leaves no residue like Uranium does. That's another claim by thorium proponents...the fact thorium cannot produce an uncontrolled runaway reaction, or be used to produce plutonium, is why thorium has been rejected as a fuel source.
:beer:
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Mr. Wizard already did it. :smokin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaWCfiT8w7Q
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Saw this a few years ago, IIRC they were hoping to show something in 2017 and have a commercially viable product a few years later.
I agree about skunkworks being behind the project lends a great deal of credibility.
It won't put opec out of business, since very little oil is used in powering the grid, but it would sure dent the renewables, coal and even nat gas.
A significant amount of Natural Gas is produced as a byproduct of oil production...but then, there is always the chemical industry.