"THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY SCIENTIFIC QUESTION"
The world witnessed nuclear fusion for the first time generating more energy than consuming (12/12/2022), at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (California USA) which was indeed an extraordinary feat and allows nuclear fusion reactors!
In the figure, it is possible to see the tiny ball (a sphere of tritium and deuterium) that became a star on Earth.
And now? Which paths to follow? Inertial Fusion or Magnetic Confinement Fusion?
Whatever it is, it will be essential for human life.
Tell us your original opinion about it!
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"Силы реакции a-излучения и лазерный термоядерный синтез"
Журнал технической физики, 49,(1),1979
А.В.Кулаков,А.А.Румянцев
Как учёные из разных стран приходят к одинаковым физическим результатам
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Hi! Funny enough, there was a similar announcement in 2013 (https://www.science.org/content/article/fusion-breakthrough-nif-uh-not-really) and the criticism is also quite the same in 2022 (https://defector.com/whats-all-this-nuclear-fusion-business-allow-me-a-true-expert-to-explain/). Even the pretty picture is the same. :) So, these news ought to be taken with some reserve.
The inertial confinement fusion at NIF might have produced more energy that the fuel itself had absorbed (hooray!), but according to data in the abovementioned link this is still merely 1 % of the total consumed energy for firing the lasers and to power all other supporting equipment.
Some similar results were obtained with magnetic confinement fusion: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_European_Torus) "In 1997, JET set the record for the closest approach to scientific breakeven. It attained Q = 0.67, producing 16 MW of fusion energy while injecting 24 MW of thermal power to heat the fuel, a record that endured until 2021." , but for all of the equipment JET needs about "500 MW with peak in excess of 1000 MW", which brings us again to about 2-3 % net efficiency (in other words, about 98 % power consumption).
All in all, there is still a pretty long way to fusion energy commercialisation (e.g. integrating a thermal- to electric-energy conversion system). This brings us to a need for new devices (rectors), where the magnetic confinement seems to leading the race.
PS: Sorry for disobeying the directive about not posting internet links, but I deem them necessary to back any data on which I build my scientific judgement.
On September 22, 2022, power unit No. 4 of the Beloyarsk NPP with the BN-800 fast neutron reactor was brought to 100% power level for the first time with a full load of the Mixed-Oxide fuel core.
Successful testing of such a reactor means almost waste-free nuclear power with access to uranium 238, which will last for millions of years (as opposed to classical uranium 235).
Thus, mankind has decided the technical issues of energy for the foreseeable future. And it happened here in Russia, in the Urals. And it really works right now!
Thank you for your constructive contributions, without prejudice or envy. This is what helps science to be science.
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