Lockheed's compact fusion reactor question

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around Lockheed Martin's compact fusion reactor design, specifically focusing on the use of magnetic mirror and cusp confinement methods. Participants explore the historical context of magnetic mirrors in fusion research, the potential advantages and disadvantages of Lockheed's approach, and the implications of the project's progress and funding.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express skepticism about the effectiveness of magnetic mirrors, noting that previous attempts showed plasma escape issues.
  • Lockheed's design reportedly incorporates cusp confinement within a magnetic mirror, but questions remain about its improvements over traditional methods.
  • One participant highlights that the abandonment of the mirror program was due to budget cuts rather than a definitive failure of the concept.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of experimental evidence supporting Lockheed's claims of improved confinement.
  • There is speculation about the reasons for the project's silence and potential military interest in the technology.
  • A participant controversially claims that Lockheed's fusion reactor claims are fraudulent, comparing it to historical fusion frauds.
  • Some participants discuss the engineering challenges associated with the design and the potential for computer modeling to inform development.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the effectiveness of Lockheed's design or the validity of its claims. Multiple competing views remain regarding the historical context of magnetic mirrors and the current state of the project.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the specific innovations Lockheed may have introduced beyond cusp and mirror confinement, as well as the implications of funding and project transparency.

  • #31
rootone said:
If it was possible to produce enough ultracooled material in the Bose-Einstein condensate state,
that might help to reduce the size of some reactor parameters.
The trouble with that is you probably need a massive and dangerous industrial plant to make enough of it.
Where do you expect Bose-Einstein condensates to be useful, and where do you see a danger from them?
etudiant said:
It is the kind of summary that reflects real work done by serious and dedicated researchers, stuff that is rarely seen any more.
Every publication, every conference, every other meeting has that.

Quenches are a necessary part of the commissioning - you need them to improve the maximal field strength of coils.

I don't the field strength Lockheed wants to use.
 
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  • #32
mfb said:
Where do you expect Bose-Einstein condensates to be useful, and where do you see a danger from them?Every publication, every conference, every other meeting has that.

Quenches are a necessary part of the commissioning - you need them to improve the maximal field strength of coils.

I don't the field strength Lockheed wants to use.
It is good that these summaries are produced. What is missing is wider dissemination of the results.
I do routinely skim the various journals such as Science News or Technology Review, there has not been such a document referenced, much less actually linked.
It is as if the field were operating under a security blanket or the leaders were ashamed of what they were doing. There is no effort to celebrate gains or to create some sense of the potential. Given that fusion seems a lot greener than covering the Earth with windmills and solar panels, that reticence is incomprehensible to me.
 
  • #33
mfb said:
Where do you expect Bose-Einstein condensates to be useful, and where do you see a danger from them?
I'll try dig out a reference, but I do know that I read somewhere that Bose-Einstein condensates are a form of matter that can only exist near to absolute zero.
Matter in that state so I gathered can undergo fusion without the need of extreme pressure, (containment).
If that is actually true then you don't need the megawatts of power needed just to get the reactor started up, everything can be downsized.
However the industrial scale production of such material is definitely not feasible with present technology.

I think if that was feasible, the careful handling and application of the resulting material would be risky.
If for some reason there was a problem in transporting it very quickly, could it explosively undergo a phase transition to 'normal' helium or whatever.
 
  • #34
rootone said:
I'll try dig out a reference, but I do know that I read somewhere that Bose-Einstein condensates are a form of matter that can only exist near to absolute zero.
That is clear and doesn't need a reference.
rootone said:
Matter in that state so I gathered can undergo fusion without the need of extreme pressure, (containment).
Who claims that?
 

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