New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. - Top - End - #1
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2020

    Default Fusion Power News Update

    Every year I post this thread to ask an update on the latest progress of fusion power development and mastery. I try to keep myself informed by performing a summary research before posting the thread.

    And I have to say, it seems there's been a *lot* of news about fusion power in the past 4 months. Are those just new commitments for more projects and research groups, or was there some genuine progress in the technology?

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Grey_Wolf_c's Avatar

    Join Date
    Aug 2007

    Default Re: Fusion Power News Update

    There has been a few significant improvements to superconductors which are crucial to generate the containment electromagnetic fields. If those improvements pan out and are practical to implement, then practical fusion has inched a tiny bit forward.

    Don't be holding your breath, though.

    GW
    Interested in MitD? Join us in MitD's thread.
    There is a world of imagination
    Deep in the corners of your mind
    Where reality is an intruder
    And myth and legend thrive
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    But really, the important lesson here is this: Rather than making assumptions that don't fit with the text and then complaining about the text being wrong, why not just choose different assumptions that DO fit with the text?
    Ceterum autem censeo Hilgya malefica est

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Lord Torath's Avatar

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Sharangar's Revenge
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Fusion Power News Update

    Interestingly, I just happened upon this article from SyFy Wire: https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/koreas...broke-a-record.

    Apparently South Korea's tokamak maintained 212 million degrees for 20 seconds. Um. That's degrees Fahrenheit, not Celsius or Kelvin. That's 118 million Kelvin. Or Celsius. The 273.15 degree difference disappears completely into the uncertainty of +/- 500,000 degrees.

    In five years they expect to be able to maintain that temperature for 300 seconds, or 5 minutes.
    Last edited by Lord Torath; 2021-01-04 at 03:27 PM.
    Warhammer 40,000 Campaign Skirmish Game: Warpstrike
    My Spelljammer stuff (including an orbit tracker), 2E AD&D spreadsheet, and Vault of the Drow maps are available in my Dropbox. Feel free to use or not use it as you see fit!
    Thri-Kreen Ranger/Psionicist by me, based off of Rich's A Monster for Every Season

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Firbolg in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2010

    Default Re: Fusion Power News Update

    I feel like there's some joke to be made about finally having an oven hot enough to make authentic pizza.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Troll in the Playground
     
    DwarfClericGuy

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Fusion Power News Update

    Quote Originally Posted by NichG View Post
    I feel like there's some joke to be made about finally having an oven hot enough to make authentic pizza.
    Or a temperature that ensures that Pizza Rolls have a properly crisp outside and a warm interior, as opposed to a soggy, cool exterior and lava filling.
    May you get EXACTLY what you wish for.

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Rater202's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Where I am

    Default Re: Fusion Power News Update

    My understanding of fusion power is "we know how to do it but the technology isn't advanced enough to do it practically so the people working on it spend most of their time going over the equations and making improvements to the existing technology at a slow but steady pace while hoping for a breakthrough."

    And something something "make tools to make tools to make tools until eventually, you have tools good enough to make what you want to make," which I think is an issue with science and technology in general rather than especially a fusion thing: Sometimes you don't have the tools needed to do what you want to do, and sometimes what you know doesn't cover making the tools you need
    I also answer to Bookmark and Shadow Claw.

    Read my fanfiction here. Homebrew Material Here Rater Reads the Hobbit and Dracula
    Awesome Avatar by Emperor Ing
    Spoiler: Ode To Meteors, By zimmerwald
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by zimmerwald1915 View Post
    Meteor
    You are a meteor
    Falling star
    You soar your
    Way down the air
    To the floor
    Where my other
    Rocks
    Are.

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Troll in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2007

    Default Re: Fusion Power News Update

    Quote Originally Posted by Rater202 View Post
    My understanding of fusion power is "we know how to do it but the technology isn't advanced enough to do it practically so the people working on it spend most of their time going over the equations and making improvements to the existing technology at a slow but steady pace while hoping for a breakthrough."

    And something something "make tools to make tools to make tools until eventually, you have tools good enough to make what you want to make," which I think is an issue with science and technology in general rather than especially a fusion thing: Sometimes you don't have the tools needed to do what you want to do, and sometimes what you know doesn't cover making the tools you need
    Pretty much this with an always present addition of problems that can only be seen once you deal with previous problems, which makes the time estimates for building fusion power plants behave like a download timer on a bad internet connection.

    In other technology areas it is not as painful as we most often still get usable designs on the way so that gradual progress brings results at a solid pace. With fusion power we did not reach the threshold of usability yet, but we are getting closer. I would even say that the roadmap to some working designs is already at hand. It is just that with such complicated and expensive projects you absolutely do not want to rush things - each step needs to be done exactly right.
    In a war it doesn't matter who's right, only who's left.

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2020

    Default Re: Fusion Power News Update

    Quote Originally Posted by Radar View Post
    Pretty much this with an always present addition of problems that can only be seen once you deal with previous problems, which makes the time estimates for building fusion power plants behave like a download timer on a bad internet connection.
    I would see it more as a debugging faulty output during a crunch production time. You know you aren't getting the results you want, but there's no way to know ahead of research what the problems are and how soon you will have the right output.

    "we will have fixed the current issue in 1 hour."
    "you said that 4 hours ago"
    "new issues"

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Troll in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2007

    Default Re: Fusion Power News Update

    Quote Originally Posted by Cikomyr2 View Post
    I would see it more as a debugging faulty output during a crunch production time. You know you aren't getting the results you want, but there's no way to know ahead of research what the problems are and how soon you will have the right output.

    "we will have fixed the current issue in 1 hour."
    "you said that 4 hours ago"
    "new issues"
    True that

    This is far too accurate actually.
    In a war it doesn't matter who's right, only who's left.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •