Climate in the 21st Century

[DIY-HP-LED]

Microsoft's big bet on helium-3 fusion explained

Magnets, not lasers, could be secret to endless power (if it actually works)

www.theregister.com

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

Microsoft's big bet on helium-3 fusion explained

Magnets, not lasers, could be secret to endless power (if it actually works)

www.theregister.com

At this stage it's still another "we'll see" kind of thing, but eventually, one of the "we'll see" things will pay off, just according to statistics...

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

At this stage it's still another "we'll see" kind of thing, but eventually, one of the "we'll see" things will pay off, just according to statistics...

I have no idea why they would try to run a con in this technical field or what their motivations might be if they did not believe in what they are doing. The lack of neutrons in their experiments are cause for concern, fusion should produce enough to need a meter of dense shielding at least and make the machine radioactive while creating isotopes and transmuting elements.

 

[cannabineer]

I have no idea why they would try to run a con in this technical field or what their motivations might be if they did not believe in what they are doing. The lack of neutrons in their experiments are cause for concern, fusion should produce enough to need a meter of dense shielding at least and make the machine radioactive while creating isotopes and transmuting elements.

3He-D fusion is aneutronic.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

I have no idea why they would try to run a con in this technical field or what their motivations might be if they did not believe in what they are doing. The lack of neutrons in their experiments are cause for concern, fusion should produce enough to need a meter of dense shielding at least and make the machine radioactive while creating isotopes and transmuting elements.

I'm not implying that they are trying to con anyone, there seems to be a lot of incompetence in the scientific field.
Lately, i have seen article after article about astounding results in all kinds of fields, and then when anyone else under any kind of conditions tries to duplicate their results, they fail. Part of that may be that those trying to replicate the experiments did something different unwittingly, some of it may be because the original experiment was "contaminated" somehow that the researchers weren't aware of, and some of it may be because the "scientists' running it are scammers, trying to make a name for themselves, to become more well known, so they can insert themselves into some cushy position that pays well.
Or many other possible factors that i don't even know to consider....
But the point is, for this to be of any practical value, it has to not only operate cheaply, safely, and reliably, it has to be reproducible on a global scale.
So, we'll see.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

3He-D fusion is aneutronic.

I understand the term, but not the significance, is that better or worse? safer or more dangerous?
I'm tired and don't feel like internet sleuthing today, indulge me.

 

[cannabineer]

I understand the term, but not the significance, is that better or worse? safer or more dangerous?
I'm tired and don't feel like internet sleuthing today, indulge me.

Neutrons penetrate matter to quite a depth, and they interact with other nuclei (depending on nuclear reactivity expressed as a cross section) to form isotopes, many of which are radioactive.

The 3He-D reaction produces no neutron; rather it makes 4He and a proton, which does not have activation, uhm, activity.

The two problems are the extreme scarcity of 3He on Earth, and the very high temperatures needed to make the reaction happen.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

Neutrons penetrate matter to quite a depth, and they interact with other nuclei (depending on nuclear reactivity expressed as a cross section) to form isotopes, many of which are radioactive.

The 3He-D reaction produces no neutron; rather it makes 4He and a proton, which does not have activation, uhm, activity.

The two problems are the extreme scarcity of 3He on Earth, and the very high temperatures needed to make the reaction happen.

They claim they will be able to manufacture 3He and their scheme appears to depend on magnetic confinement and inertia to provide the density and temps. I haven't bothered to bone up on fusion reactions much and figure they should be creating quite a buzz in the physics community, or a lot of people calling bullshit on them at least. I'm assuming the people funding this have practiced due diligence and hired consulting physicists to provide a report(s) on the feasibility. It looks like many are adopting a wait and see approach.

The only reason I bothered to post on it was the fact they signed a contract with penalties, so they are at least putting their money where their mouths are, and we won't have long to wait for results. One also hopes that unintended fusion reactions of the more conventional kinds won't occur, but the neutron count will reveal that.

 

[cannabineer]

They claim they will be able to manufacture 3He and their scheme appears to depend on magnetic confinement and inertia to provide the density and temps. I haven't bothered to bone up on fusion reactions much and figure they should be creating quite a buzz in the physics community, or a lot of people calling bullshit on them at least. I'm assuming the people funding this have practiced due diligence and hired consulting physicists to provide a report(s) on the feasibility. It looks like many are adopting a wait and see approach.

The only reason I bothered to post on it was the fact they signed a contract with penalties, so they are at least putting their money where their mouths are, and we won't have long to wait for results. One also hopes that unintended fusion reactions of the more conventional kinds won't occur, but the neutron count will reveal that.

what I found out: their process has a side reaction:
2H + 2H —> 3He + n
2H + 2H —> 3H + p
and 3H + 2H —> 4He + n

first n 2.45 MeV; second n 14 MeV

So their process is not clean after all.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

what I found out: their process has a side reaction:
2H + 2H —> 3He + n
2H + 2H —> 3H + p
and 3H + 2H —> 4He + n

first n 2.45 MeV; second n 14 MeV

So their process is not clean after all.

That will mean eventual reactor breakdown by the eventual degradation of materials used in its construction through elemental transmutation and the production of radioactive isotopes. However, it should not result in too much radioactive waste, if say the reaction chamber were modularized and could be changed out.

I guess we will have to wait for more reports of success or failure, they have been at it for a while, and this is the 7th iteration of their apparatus. I have not seen much about it pro or con in the physics community, but I don't exactly have my ear to the ground there either! If it makes the news, then I'll look closer and if they are successful many people will be having a much closer look. In any case they have a deadline and should be making incremental progress towards it by next year.

 

[cannabineer]

That will mean eventual reactor breakdown by the eventual degradation of materials used in its construction through elemental transmutation and the production of radioactive isotopes. However, it should not result in too much radioactive waste, if say the reaction chamber were modularized and could be changed out.

I guess we will have to wait for more reports of success or failure, they have been at it for a while, and this is the 7th iteration of their apparatus. I have not seen much about it pro or con in the physics community, but I don't exactly have my ear to the ground there either! If it makes the news, then I'll look closer and if they are successful many people will be having a much closer look. In any case they have a deadline and should be making incremental progress towards it by next year.

They have a big climb ahead of them.

Imo entering into a contract with penalties has no positive predictive value in this instance. It could just be go fever.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

Neutrons penetrate matter to quite a depth, and they interact with other nuclei (depending on nuclear reactivity expressed as a cross section) to form isotopes, many of which are radioactive.

The 3He-D reaction produces no neutron; rather it makes 4He and a proton, which does not have activation, uhm, activity.

The two problems are the extreme scarcity of 3He on Earth, and the very high temperatures needed to make the reaction happen.

So cleaner, less waste, more power per unit of fuel...but a shortage of fuel, and mechanical/engineering problems?
Engineering problems can usually be overcome, but a shortage of fuel seems like a large obstacle, unless it can be synthesized somehow?
I used up my days supply of initiative...you can make it by fusing deuterium atoms, and it can apparently be collected while servicing nuclear weapons?

https://explainingthefuture.com/helium3.html

These people have apparently eliminated the need for tritium...
nice graphic, anyway...

 

[Bad Karma]

what I found out: their process has a side reaction:
2H + 2H —> 3He + n
2H + 2H —> 3H + p
and 3H + 2H —> 4He + n

first n 2.45 MeV; second n 14 MeV

So their process is not clean after all.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

They have a big climb ahead of them.

Imo entering into a contract with penalties has no positive predictive value in this instance. It could just be go fever.

It indicates they have confidence in their idea and experimental results. I'm not qualified to pass judgement on this and depend on the consensus of the physics community, politics and funding for other fusion projects aside. As I said I'm skeptical until I see some results and there is largely silence from the professional community, so far. We won't have long to wait and if they can't pull something off that they can show to investors or regulators in the next couple of years, they will either need new investors or have a good explanation that they can slide by consulting physicists!

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

They didn't laugh him out of the room when he made his presentation, so there's that!

The theory behind Helion’s approach to building commercial fusion devices

16,386 views Jan 13, 2023
Helion CEO, Dr. David Kirtley, presents the theory behind Helion’s approach to building commercial fusion generators. This information was originally presented at the Fall 2022 Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Plasma Physics in Spokane, Washington.

Presentation title: Fundamental Scaling of Adiabatic Compression of Field Reversed Configuration Thermonuclear Fusion Plasmas
Presented by: David Kirtley

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

These would make a lot of sense for most contractors where the van is parked in front of a house all day long while the people work. Solar panels on the roof would keep it charged up most of the time and it would start out each day with a full overnight grid charge. Enough battery range and it would be a good delivery van option too with roof top solar and low urban speeds. No more gasoline purchases and no more employee credit cards to make them along with low maintenance costs. The large roof area of such a vehicle should generate significant amounts of solar power, enough to keep the batteries charged while using the power tools most contractors use or add to the free driving range.

Electric Work Vans Are "Almost Free" - CleanTechnica

The demand for electric work vans is increasing as commercial customers learn how inexpensive they are to operate and maintain.

cleantechnica.com

 

[CANON_Grow]

These would make a lot of sense for most contractors where the van is parked in front of a house all day long while the people work. Solar panels on the roof would keep it charged up most of the time and it would start out each day with a full overnight grid charge. Enough battery range and it would be a good delivery van option too with roof top solar and low urban speeds. No more gasoline purchases and no more employee credit cards to make them along with low maintenance costs. The large roof area of such a vehicle should generate significant amounts of solar power, enough to keep the batteries charged while using the power tools most contractors use or add to the free driving range.

Electric Work Vans Are "Almost Free" - CleanTechnica

The demand for electric work vans is increasing as commercial customers learn how inexpensive they are to operate and maintain.

cleantechnica.com

It would make sense for some independent contractors, but it will be quite a while before it can be scaled up to where it makes sense for contractors with employee's that don't leave the vehicles at an office or another facility at the end of each day. Having solar panels on the roof where ladders and storage/transport for longer items are generally placed, would be an issue; as would parking in a major city where the sun is blocked by buildings or in a parking garage. Charging over night will not be possible for many that are in apartment/condo buildings, as well as houses that don't have the ability to upgrade the electrical service. For the houses that do have the ability to plug in at night, the logistics of installing the charger (not just the installation) and sorting out how the electricity is paid for is a major obstacle. Could always use a charging station, but the employees would need to be paid while waiting for it to charge which needs to be taken into consideration.

It's going to happen, but trades contractors will likely be the last to transition over to EV's for employee driven work trucks/vans.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

It would make sense for some independent contractors, but it will be quite a while before it can be scaled up to where it makes sense for contractors with employee's that don't leave the vehicles at an office or another facility at the end of each day. Having solar panels on the roof where ladders and storage/transport for longer items are generally placed, would be an issue; as would parking in a major city where the sun is blocked by buildings or in a parking garage. Charging over night will not be possible for many that are in apartment/condo buildings, as well as houses that don't have the ability to upgrade the electrical service. For the houses that do have the ability to plug in at night, the logistics of installing the charger (not just the installation) and sorting out how the electricity is paid for is a major obstacle. Could always use a charging station, but the employees would need to be paid while waiting for it to charge which needs to be taken into consideration.

It's going to happen, but trades contractors will likely be the last to transition over to EV's for employee driven work trucks/vans.

I would imagine a solar roof would be an option on most such vehicles and not a particularly useful one for most uses. As with everything economics and practicality will be the determining factors, but demand for electric half tons is high too. Any contractor that uses a depot could charge them overnight, or they can cut a deal with some staff to charge them at home. It won't be too long before 220-volt home chargers become ubiquitous and fast charging times are not too far off either. There are no fuel or other maintenance costs that are associated with an ICE vehicle and cheaper better batteries are all that is required to make it feasible for many such uses.

The rate of progress in the field is tremendous and the investment is not just pouring in for R&D, but for gigafactories, and the associated infrastructure right down to mining the minerals. We are at the very beginning of an energy and transport transformation. It is like when the railways went from steam power to diesel locomotives, the cost savings in labor, and infrastructure were tremendous which is why it happened in a decade or so after the war, by 20 years the transition was complete in most of the world, and the steam locos gone to scrap.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

I can see this biting Texas in the ass one day, Elon can't be happy about it! It is punitive and regressive, so a perfect fit for the republicans. As EV sales surge over the next decade, the law won't last, and neither will the republicans.

Greg Abbott Signs Law Making EV Owners Pay for Their Gas-Free Cars

Driving an electric vehicle in Texas is soon to become more expensive. Governor Greg Abbott signed a law (SB 505) on May 13 instituting new fees for registering and owning EVs in the state. Under the bill, electric car owners will have to pay $400 upon registering their vehicle. Then, every...

news.yahoo.com

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

I can see this biting Texas in the ass one day, Elon can't be happy about it! It is punitive and regressive, so a perfect fit for the republicans. As EV sales surge over the next decade, the law won't last, and neither will the republicans.

Greg Abbott Signs Law Making EV Owners Pay for Their Gas-Free Cars

Driving an electric vehicle in Texas is soon to become more expensive. Governor Greg Abbott signed a law (SB 505) on May 13 instituting new fees for registering and owning EVs in the state. Under the bill, electric car owners will have to pay $400 upon registering their vehicle. Then, every...

news.yahoo.com

abbott is just a cocksucker...He's actively working against the good of America, the people of texas, and the world in general.
If the people of texas keep electing this sleaze ball piece of shit, then they deserve what they get.