Submitted by Gari_305 t3_zoj9ga in Futurology
ItsAConspiracy t1_j0z4vx4 wrote
Reply to comment by BlueSkyToday in Nuclear fusion breakthrough: What does it mean for space exploration? by Gari_305
The kinetic energy doesn't disappear just because the neutron interacts with a nucleus. Any more than it disappears when a bullet hits a block of clay: the bullet mostly stops, but the clay moves and heats, because momentum is conserved. In the same way, ITERs breeding blanket is going to heat up plenty. Run water pipes through it and you're good.
The beryllium supply is a real issue though. CFS is working on a tokamak a tenth the size that should do the same thing as ITER, because it uses much better superconductors, but even that uses a lot of beryllium.
BlueSkyToday t1_j101xsw wrote
Hmm, reading more about this, it looks like it's possible for the blanket to have a net power gain.
https://irp.fas.org/agency/dod/jason/tritium.pdf
That's encouraging.
I haven't seen the calculations for when Engineering Breakeven happens.
ItsAConspiracy t1_j1025xc wrote
Wow that's something I didn't know, that's interesting.
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