fresh bytes
Subscribe Now

MIT scientists explain when we’ll have fusion power

Screen_Shot_2012-04-12_at_1.37.03_PM.png

Back in March, we posted about how this could be the year where the National Ignition Facility breaks even with laser fusion, reaching the point where as much power is generated as is input. This doesn’t mean we’ve got a fusion power plant around the corner, though, and researchers have come clean about what the hold-up is.

Fusion power is what you get when you take two lightweight atomic nuclei and fuse them together into one heavier atomic nucleus, releasing energy in the process. It’s far cleaner and far more efficient than fission power, and the only reason that we’re not taking advantage of it right now is that it requires temperatures and pressures on the order of what you’d experience at the center of the sun to get it to work.

At MIT, they’ve been working on getting fusion to happen inside a Tokamak (called the Alcator C-Mod, pictured above), which is a piece of equipment that uses intense magnetic fields to confine and heat plasma to the point that fusion can be initiated, which is something on the order of tens to hundreds of million of degrees.
via DVICE

Continue reading 

Leave a Reply

featured blogs
Mar 27, 2024
The current state of PCB design is in the middle of a trifecta; there's an evolution, a revolution, and an exodus. There are better tools and material changes, there's the addition of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), but at the same time, people are leavi...
Mar 26, 2024
Learn how GPU acceleration impacts digital chip design implementation, expanding beyond chip simulation to fulfill compute demands of the RTL-to-GDSII process.The post Can GPUs Accelerate Digital Design Implementation? appeared first on Chip Design....
Mar 21, 2024
The awesome thing about these machines is that you are limited only by your imagination, and I've got a GREAT imagination....

featured video

We are Altera. We are for the innovators.

Sponsored by Intel

Today we embark on an exciting journey as we transition to Altera, an Intel Company. In a world of endless opportunities and challenges, we are here to provide the flexibility needed by our ecosystem of customers and partners to pioneer and accelerate innovation. As we leap into the future, we are committed to providing easy-to-design and deploy leadership programmable solutions to innovators to unlock extraordinary possibilities for everyone on the planet.

To learn more about Altera visit: http://intel.com/altera

featured chalk talk

High-Voltage Isolation for Robust and Reliable System Operation
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Luke Trowbridge from Texas Instruments examine the benefits of isolation in high voltage systems. They also explore the benefits of TI’s integrated transformer technology and how TI’s high voltage isolations can help you streamline your design process, reduce your bill of materials, and ensure reliable and robust system operation.
Apr 27, 2023
36,389 views