Week breakthroughs in fusion energy continues: dynomak reactor from the University of Washington

Looks like astrologers week announced breakthroughs in fusion energy. Please another demonstration of his "catalyst" held the infamous Andrea Rossi. By his demonstration we are used to - not even funny, but then a breakthrough Corporation announced Lockheed Martin - organization of more than serious. Unfortunately, the press release there was almost no technical information about the design of the fusion reactor, which should forever change our world. We only know that the principle of his work - the fusion reaction occurs in the plasma, sandwiched in a magnetic trap - not too different from the reactor ITER, which is being built in Europe.

Unlike most quantitative, due to different design of the trap at the reactor lokhidovskogo much higher value of β-coefficient, ie, the limit ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic field pressure. The higher the ratio, the smaller the magnetic field can confine plasma, and therefore less need for very expensive and bulky superconducting magnet which creates this field. Due to the high value of β, a new type of reactor can be much smaller and cheaper than ITER.

And today, 17 October, at the ongoing St. Petersburg 25th Conference of the IAEA Fusion team of scientists from the University of Washington presented the concept of a fusion reactor "dinomak» (dynomak), the construction of which, according to preliminary estimates, should be no more expensive coal power plant of the same capacity.



University of Washington - not a cowboy firm and stable high place in national and international rankings, eight alumni Nobel laureates. Unlike the secret development of Lockheed Martin, an article about the design and operation of the reactor has опубликована in the peer-reviewed journal. The university has created a small pilot plant scale, which conducted a series of successful experiments.

Dinomak - an upgraded version of the spherical tokamak or sferomaka. As with reactor Lockheed Martin, is a magnetic trap with high β. Sferomaki received less widespread than tokamaks, as the budgets of scientific organizations was not under force to support multiple lines of research, and tokamaks seemed more prospectively. In particular, in the US in '86 was severely cut funding for fusion energy research, and sferomaki that while much inferior tokamaks time stable plasma confinement, were postponed pigeonholed.

A pilot plant (about 10 times less than the expected dinomaka) i>

Now interest sferomakam returns. At the core of the Washington dinomaka is opened recently by scientists at the University of Washington the same new way of plasma confinement in a magnetic trap, which requires much less energy for stable plasma confinement. Article with its description was published in 2012.

And finally, a little conspiracy theory, at least two very serious organization, working closely with the US government announced a possible breakthrough in fusion energy. It is considered that what is happening now rapid and profound drop in oil prices is due whether the aggravation of the conflict with Russia, the United States, or attempts to squeeze the Arab countries with their US shale oil and gas abroad profitability. What if the US and the Arabs have already evaluated the potential of fusion and new products began to drop "black gold" is not yet too late, knowing that in 10 years - 20, the demand for it will begin to fall with ever increasing speed?



Source: geektimes.ru/post/240408/