Search found 588 matches

by kurt9
Fri Mar 22, 2024 2:00 am
Forum: General
Topic: General anti-fusion attitude
Replies: 14
Views: 363

Re: General anti-fusion attitude

Several so called "green NGOs" have already started to gear up against fusion. Greenpeace is one and I think Friends of the Earth is another, but I might be mixing them up with a different one (there are so many).
This is what I meant by far left whacko organizations.
by kurt9
Sun Mar 17, 2024 8:20 pm
Forum: General
Topic: General anti-fusion attitude
Replies: 14
Views: 363

Re: General anti-fusion attitude

Aside from certain far left types and institutions, "hostility" towards fusion power is not really hostility. Its just skepticism over it being developed in the time frame being claimed by start-ups like Helion.
by kurt9
Thu Sep 01, 2022 8:48 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Well, for me, it looks like my employeer, and engineering design and consulting company, may be doing some work for Tri-alpha. It may involve system integration, which is what I do for a living.
by kurt9
Thu Sep 01, 2022 7:28 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Everyone is focused on just getting fusion to be commercial, but commercial is now a given. Now the issue is locating machines near the power use, and for that direct conversion will play a dominant role. (excluding fossil retrofits). All of these ideas look promising. But I will not be convinced i...
by kurt9
Fri Jul 08, 2022 2:58 am
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Turbopumps with cryo-traps can get down to 10-11 torr. This is the typical pressure used in MBE process. MBE is a rather low throughput process to make certain opto-electronic chips. These guys make them. https://www.riber.com/ The image you posted above just reminded me that cryo-traps do not work ...
by kurt9
Fri Jul 08, 2022 2:52 am
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Usually a turbo pump is used with a cryo-trap to get down to UHV regime. I've never heard of a turbo pump getting down to UHV regime without the assistance of a cryo-trap. The article mentions a 24 hour bake out period. My customers running MBE tools used a 3 day bake out cycle. They also used diffu...
by kurt9
Thu Jul 07, 2022 6:44 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Turbo pumps alone will not get you to UHV. You need a cryo-trap as well. Diffusion pumps can get you to UHV and they have the benefit of having no moving parts. But they are finicky to use in other ways and create quite a mess if shut down improperly. The spacing between the bolts on the flanges loo...
by kurt9
Thu Jul 07, 2022 4:04 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Do these fusion reactors require ultra high vacuum (10-10 torr) or do they work with regular high vacuum (10-6 torr)? I've worked a lot with high vacuum tools, but not ultra high vacuum tools. The only process tools I've worked with in the ultra high vacuum regime are MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) sy...
by kurt9
Fri Jul 01, 2022 10:48 pm
Forum: News
Topic: New Fusion Startup CTFusion
Replies: 16
Views: 15048

Re: New Fusion Startup CTFusion

The best LENR (cold fusion) work is being done by the Japanese. It is worth noting is the lack of animosity between the hot and cold fusion researchers in Japan. The Japanese believe (as I do) that even if cold fusion is real, that both cold and hot fusion are optimized for various power application...
by kurt9
Fri Jul 01, 2022 6:58 pm
Forum: News
Topic: New Fusion Startup CTFusion
Replies: 16
Views: 15048

Re: New Fusion Startup CTFusion

LENR is definitely speculative. I'm convinced the phenomenon is real. But I am not convinced it is commercialization. Steve Krivit is one of the better journalists/pundits covering the field. He is definitely a "true believer" but is a skeptic at the same time. New Energy Times was at the time (abou...
by kurt9
Fri Jul 01, 2022 2:17 pm
Forum: News
Topic: New Fusion Startup CTFusion
Replies: 16
Views: 15048

Re: New Fusion Startup CTFusion

Jassby must be a guest writer because New Energy Times is run by Steve Krivit, who is pushing a theory of LENR called Widom Larson theory. Steve Krivit is the guy who called BS on Rossi when the latter faked his E-Cat demos. This was back when I read him regularly. Steve Krivot has long advocated a ...
by kurt9
Wed Feb 02, 2022 6:07 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

One of the things I like about Helion, if they are successful, is that they have a way to manufacturer He3. This puts paid to all of the schemes of the "space" people to mine the moon for He3.
by kurt9
Mon Dec 20, 2021 3:30 pm
Forum: News
Topic: General Fusion in the news
Replies: 590
Views: 357472

Re: General Fusion in the news

Yes, that physicist was shamefully ignorant of the subject she trashed on youtube. Her credibility died in my eyes with that video. The physics community is largely driven by government grants and is heavily invested into the ITER program, which has devolved into little more than a jobs program for...
by kurt9
Mon Nov 22, 2021 4:29 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

If they can produce Helium-3, it will put paid to all of the Moon mining and other schemes for producing Helium-3.
by kurt9
Mon Nov 08, 2021 6:58 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104347

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

I believe the polywell concept was presented to Musk, Gates, and the like some years ago, and they all turned their noses up at it. They all thought that piddle power (wind, solar, etc.) was the solution to energy and would not entertain anything else.