With initially high Q numbers reported for Z-pinch fusion reactors, the newspapers ran the headlines in the absolute certainty that the UK would be building the first fusion reactors, with the rest of the world to follow. Simply pulse high currents through the plasma to induce fusion, harvest the energy and suddenly the much touted nuclear fission reactors of the time already seemed like relics of yesteryear. With the Z-pinch fusion reactors of the 1950s, it seemed that commercial fusion reactors were a even just a few years away. Since we’re dealing with fundamental physics and boldly heading into new areas of plasma physics, high-temperature superconducting magnets, as well as exciting new fields in material research, all we can do is provide a solid educated guess. What is sadly missing in a lot of the communication when it comes to fundamental physics research and development is often the deeper understanding of what is happening, and what any reported findings mean. Science Communication The UK ZETA Z-pinch fusion reactor in 1958.Īs the eternal jib goes, nuclear fusion is always a decade away, ever since its discovery a hundred years ago. ![]() So then the next question: does this really mean that we’re any closer to having commercial fusion reactors churning out plentiful of power? ![]() With enough pressure, the Coulomb barrier that generally keeps nuclei from getting near each other can be overcome, and that’s fusion.īased on the preliminary results, it would appear that a few percent of the D-T fuel did undergo fusion. Within this Hohlraum, X-rays are produced that serve to compress the fuel. ![]() What was remarkable about this event compared to last year’s 1.3 MJ production is that it demonstrates an optimized firing routine for the NIF’s lasers, and that changes to how the Hohlraum – containing the deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel – is targeted result in more effective compression. Specifically, the announcement was that a net fusion energy gain (Q) had been measured of about 1.5: for an input of 2.05 MJ, 3.15 MJ was produced. This month the media was abuzz with the announcement that the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) had accomplished a significant breakthrough in the quest to achieve commercial nuclear fusion.
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