This discussion centers on the potential application of directed energy fundamentals in hybrid heating systems for active confinement in fusion reactors, specifically tokamaks. Participants explore the feasibility of using directed energy, such as lasers, to compress and heat plasma, referencing existing technologies like the National Ignition Facility. Key insights include the challenges of energy balance in fusion processes and the impracticality of current methods for sustained power production. The conversation emphasizes the need for innovative approaches to plasma confinement and heating.
PREREQUISITESResearchers, physicists, and engineers involved in fusion energy development, as well as those interested in advanced heating techniques for plasma confinement systems.
Andrewtv848 said:directed energy
Andrewtv848 said:active confinement
Probably. That's what his previous thread was about. Astronuc and mfb provided good responses in the previous thread.PeterDonis said:Do you mean active confinement for a fusion reactor?
Andrewtv848 said:Summary:: New type of active confinement
I have a idea for a plasma based fusion reactor. Using a combusting hydrogen/other reactant generate a flame jet to actively confine the plasma and possibly using a helium compressed jet stream as well to bring down turbulence.
My friend already says these will destroy the plasma but I am am not sure.
thanks for your time
Sorry, my bad. yep you got it.PeterDonis said:What do you mean by this? Can you give a reference?
Like a phased array or other directed energy weapons Do you mean active confinement for a fusion reactor?
Andrewtv848 said:Summary:: how similar is directed energy to the heating apparatus.
Could directed energy fundamentals be used in active confinement by hybridizing the heating system with directed energy. I'm sure I'm wrong in this because I only have my high school diploma.
I think I'm misinterpreting what you are saying, but isn't Iter roughly 2 atmospheres of pressure. Btw, can you even exert a force using light?hutchphd said:The pressure in the sun's interior is ~ 4 trillion psi. This is roughly 5000 times as much as the pressure required to make diamonds.
This is not going to happen using the techniques you propose...but keep thinking about it!
It has been thoroughly researched. For example:Andrewtv848 said:Summary:: how similar is directed energy to the heating apparatus.
Could directed energy fundamentals be used in active confinement by hybridizing the heating system with directed energy. I'm sure I'm wrong in this because I only have my high school diploma.
Could you use the Doppler effect to cool the plasma as well as spot heating to control the plasma on top of the magneto hydrodynamics already present.artis said:@Andrewtv848 light which is made of photons or we can also call it EM field can indeed exert a force on a surface , the problem is that force is very small per individual photon, so you need lots of them , and by lots I mean LOTS.
If that wasn't the case then you could accelerate your car by shining a laser against the asphalt behind you.@anorlunda linked to a well known experiment, all they do there in a nutshell is they have many large lasers they combine each laser output and focus them from all direction to a single roughly ball pen tip sized ball which contains the fuel, say D-T mixture.
The focused laser pulse is very fast and in that short time it compresses the ball of fuel simultaneously heating it.
But don't look at it as a viable power production method, first of all the energy balance between spent and produced is awful and secondly even if each ignited pellet gave back more than it consumed electrical energy wise this still would be impractical as a reactor because everytime you need to change the old pellet to a new one and that is a rather slow mechanical process.
Sort of like if you had to use a syringe to put droplets of gas inside your internal combustion engine after each combustion cycle. Luckily gas and diesel can be sprayed inside the chamber otherwise it would not function , but here you cannot spray the fusion fuel you need to have it in a small form so that you can concentrate your lasers onto it.
So that means a solid ball.
I was envisioning a tokamak with a heating array that worked like a phased array to target the turbulence early on.Andrewtv848 said:I think I'm misinterpreting what you are saying, but isn't Iter roughly 2 atmospheres of pressure. Btw, can you even exert a force using light?