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Lockheed Martin Pursuing Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Concept

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TEG

Teslafanatic
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Aug 20, 2006
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Lockheed Martin Pursuing Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Concept Lockheed Martin
PALMDALE, Calif., Oct. 15, 2014 – The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Skunk Works® team is working on a new compact fusion reactor (CFR) that can be developed and deployed in as little as ten years. Currently, there are several patents pending that cover their approach.

While fusion itself is not new, the Skunk Works has built on more than 60 years of fusion research and investment to develop an approach that offers a significant reduction in size compared to mainstream efforts.

“Our compact fusion concept combines several alternative magnetic confinement approaches, taking the best parts of each, and offers a 90 percent size reduction over previous concepts,” said Tom McGuire, compact fusion lead for the Skunk Works’ Revolutionary Technology Programs. “The smaller size will allow us to design, build and test the CFR in less than a year.”

After completing several of these design-build-test cycles, the team anticipates being able to produce a prototype in five years. As they gain confidence and progress technically with each experiment, they will also be searching for partners to help further the technology.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 113,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.

 
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It's been said that Fusion (non-solar) is the energy source of the future and it always will be; I would be awesome if that future is finally here.

Wind Turbines, Solar Panels and grid storage aren't as sexy as fusion reactors but they work and they're cost effective. Not saying we shouldn't keep working on Fusion but at the same time we need to accept the fact that we don't have time to wait for miracles. It's ok to buy a lottery ticket once a week.... so long as you keep contributing to your 401k.

It's very unlikely that ANY power plant will have a Capacity Factor >70% in 10 years. In 20 years 40% will probably be seen as good. Utilities rarely add generation to displace existing generation so they are unlikely to invest in nuclear power except to replace retiring plants which doesn't occur very ofter AND with the expansion of wind/solar many plants are retiring due to lack of demand... it would be insane to replace a plant that was retired because it wasn't used enough to be profitable.

Absent any fusion miracles (Which I AM praying for) or $2/w fission (Which I am also praying for) the future belongs to wind/solar and grid storage (Which I am PLANNING for)
 
BLah blah TEG was first:

Lockheed Martin Pursuing Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Concept

"Our compact fusion concept combines several alternative magnetic confinement approaches, taking the best parts of each, and offers a 90 percent size reduction over previous concepts,” said Tom McGuire, compact fusion lead for the Skunk Works’ Revolutionary Technology Programs. “The smaller size will allow us to design, build and test the CFR in less than a year."

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2014/october/141015ae_lockheed-martin-pursuing-compact-nucelar-fusion.html
 
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What'the living fu*k!! ?

Lockheed Martin Pursuing Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Concept

"Our compact fusion concept combines several alternative magnetic confinement approaches, taking the best parts of each, and offers a 90 percent size reduction over previous concepts,” said Tom McGuire, compact fusion lead for the Skunk Works’ Revolutionary Technology Programs. “The smaller size will allow us to design, build and test the CFR in less than a year."

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2014/october/141015ae_lockheed-martin-pursuing-compact-nucelar-fusion.html

Wow... they can take technology that doesn't seem to work and make it smaller and cheaper!

Don't take me wrong, I'd love to see it work. I'm just very skeptical. :-(
 
I'd just like to point out that decades ago before computers were common they said atomic power (fission) would be too cheap to bother metering and calculating a bill for. (yeah, like the power company wouldn't charge at least an all you can use connection fee, if they couldn't charge per kwh) oh yeah, Too cheap to meter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Now with computers willing to accrue those millionths of a cent even if it gets that cheap there will still be a bill per unit on top of the flat fee. :)
 
The key word is "concept". It a design idea, not a working reactor.

I have been waiting my entire life for fusion to become a reality. I'm still waiting. But I believe it is worth continuing to invest serious money into because the upside is so enormous.

In 1975, one of my friends at university changed his school to go to Europe and work on a tokamak. That's very close to 40 years ago! Scary. He explained (way back then...) that you needed a torus because otherwise the plasma escapes from the ends, you just can't make a magnetic/electric field strong enough to prevent that. The video has some handwaving around that area. I'd like to understand it better.

One problem that I just recently became aware of is that spare neutron from the Deuterium-Tritium reaction. Over time the equipment itself absorbs those neutrons and becomes radioactive. So such a reactor definitely has a limited lifetime. That doesn't matter if they're cheap and easy to build, and certainly isn't anything like the nuclear waste from a fission reactor, but is still a bit of a problem.
 
In 1975, one of my friends at university changed his school to go to Europe and work on a tokamak. That's very close to 40 years ago! Scary. He explained (way back then...) that you needed a torus because otherwise the plasma escapes from the ends, you just can't make a magnetic/electric field strong enough to prevent that. The video has some handwaving around that area. I'd like to understand it better.

One problem that I just recently became aware of is that spare neutron from the Deuterium-Tritium reaction. Over time the equipment itself absorbs those neutrons and becomes radioactive. So such a reactor definitely has a limited lifetime. That doesn't matter if they're cheap and easy to build, and certainly isn't anything like the nuclear waste from a fission reactor, but is still a bit of a problem.

Cue aneutronic fusion... I don't want to bring up LPP too much since it seems, for some reason, to draw bad blood on this forum. But now I mentioned it at least. I say look to nature and imitate a star or a supernova (dense plasma focus fusion) rather than these tokamaks that probably will never work in reality.
 
All those magnetic confinement devices are breeders: Lithium 6 absorbs the neutrons and turns to tritium (tritium is used as fuel with the deuterium which is extracted from heavy water). The extra heat is used to power the stem turbines. e.g. whole idea is turn neutron flux to heat.

Also Tokomaks are only devices that work for sure. (Burning plasmas over decade) Problem is that tokamaks need to huge and that's why are extremely expensive...
 
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There seems to be a lot of press floating around putting positive spin on handing $1T to Lockheed for the F-35 program. The Navy is out in the Pacific spending billions tooling around convincing everyone that China's precisely one aircraft carrier requires us to buy 2,300 F-35s.

This fusion story is an old one and until something is actually shown to me in reality I'm gonna take this as simply more PR for Lockheed. It has the side benefit of likely attracting more billions in military spend to support this project. I guess it's better spent on this anyhow.
 
Lockheed says makes breakthrough on fusion energy project

Lockheed Martin Corp said on Wednesday it had made a technological breakthrough in developing a power source based on nuclear fusion, and the first reactors, small enough to fit on the back of a truck, could be ready for use in a decade.

Tom McGuire, who heads the project, said he and a small team had been working on fusion energy at Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works for about four years, but were now going public to find potential partners in industry and government for their work.

Initial work demonstrated the feasibility of building a 100-megawatt reactor measuring seven feet by 10 feet, which could fit on the back of a large truck, and is about 10 times smaller than current reactors, McGuire told reporters.

In a statement, the company, the Pentagon's largest supplier, said it would build and test a compact fusion reactor in less than a year, and build a prototype in five years.
Link: Lockheed says makes breakthrough on fusion energy project - Chicago Tribune

This is game-changing, history-making news. While the article alludes to putting the reactors directly into cars and powering them, the truth is that it's much more practical to have an all-electric, battery-powered car in a world that is not dependent on fossil fuels.

Anyone know a car company making those?
 
My mistake for posting this in the wrong place. Thanks for moving and merging.

It wouldn't need to fit in the frunk, as long as it fits in your garage. Ideally, there would be a ton of these powering our grid at an extremely low cost and you'd be able to recharge almost anywhere.
 
Ymh... Although I am all for the fusion power, an idea of a high neutron flux device (with high speed neutrons) which contains good amount of tritium, in some ones garage, is not necessary a good idea...
 
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