Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

zekromNLR t1_j1b9g5z wrote

Reply to comment by Splatterman27 in How do fusion scientists expect to produce enough Tritium to sustain D-T fusion (see text)? by DanTheTerrible

Those processes are how a D-T fusion plant would capture energy. About 80% of the energy output of D-T fusion is in the neutron, and the other 20% are probably required to keep the plasma hot anyways. As the neutrons slow down and go through nuclear reactions in the breeding blanket, they will give up their kinetic energy as heat, which can then be used to boil water and drive a steam turbine.

65

lo53n t1_j1bb1ke wrote

Its so strange, after all those years we still convert kinetic energy to electricity via steam turbine. Is there even any feasible option to phase out steam energy or use more direct conversion?

52

[deleted] t1_j1bdth3 wrote

[removed]

37

FinndBors t1_j1bq2hs wrote

You are looking for aneutronic fusion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aneutronic_fusion

He3 is required but rare, or Boron fusion but needs a ton more input energy than D-T fusion. The sibling comments regarding Helion Energy is an attempt to do this using He3 and a way to synthesize it since it is very rare. The way they synthesize it is D-D fusion which does produce neutrons.

Regarding He3, people talk about mining this on the moon since it is less rare there, but IMO, its a stupid idea since it isn't like mining an ore where there is concentrations of it, it's weakly spread out all over the surface.

4