Germany Nearly Ready to Test Nuclear Fusion Stellerator
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A new nuclear fusion generator that took 19 years and $1.1bn USD to build is nearing completion and might be ready to fire up in Germany before the end of the year.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/350/6259/369.full
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A fusion reactor would be pretty awesome and comparatively speaking "self sustaining" compared to Fission reactors.
Less material is needed.
I hope it works out well, and that they don't turn earth into a tiny sun!
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That looks like the ring from Mass Effect.
It will be interesting to see how much energy comes out, compared to what goes in. So far these things are not very efficient, but this is a new design. So we can hope.
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@Reid-Cooper said:
That looks like the ring from Mass Effect.
It will be interesting to see how much energy comes out, compared to what goes in. So far these things are not very efficient, but this is a new design. So we can hope.
Not a new design according to the article, just so difficult to make that they are rarely attempted. And this one took 19 years to build.
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Which means that if this proves to be a really good design, that it will be two decades till we can have another one.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Which means that if this proves to be a really good design, that it will be two decades till we can have another one.
Does it though? Considering modern technology, who know, perhaps they can build it in 1/4 the time now? I'm really curious what the leading cause for the time spent was?
In the 20 years it took them to make it we've had so many advancements in computing power, industrial design, etc, etc...
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Once you start a build like this, you have to follow the thing all the way through using the technology that you started with... It'd be rough seeing a 286 or 386 trying to keep up with Pentium 4, lol.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Which means that if this proves to be a really good design, that it will be two decades till we can have another one.
Does it though? Considering modern technology, who know, perhaps they can build it in 1/4 the time now? I'm really curious what the leading cause for the time spent was?
In the 20 years it took them to make it we've had so many advancements in computing power, industrial design, etc, etc...
I'm sure with the experience that they get from this that they can do the next one faster, but only a little. The staff on a twenty year project are not likely to be around long enough to do another one.
