Search found 271 matches

by RERT
Mon Mar 25, 2024 8:50 am
Forum: News
Topic: Company (Quaise Energy) plans to use fusion technology to drill for geothermal
Replies: 18
Views: 3787

Re: Company (Quaise Energy) plans to use fusion technology to drill for geothermal

If anyone had reviewed the risks of Global Warming from energy use 200 years ago, they wouldn’t have seen any. In 200 years, US energy use per head might have gone up 50%, and the whole 50% more people worldwide might match them. That’s an enormous rise. Currently people inject about 0.7% of atmosph...
by RERT
Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:41 am
Forum: News
Topic: Company (Quaise Energy) plans to use fusion technology to drill for geothermal
Replies: 18
Views: 3787

Re: Company (Quaise Energy) plans to use fusion technology to drill for geothermal

Just to note for distant future reference, if they do cool the mantle and stop plate tectonics, carbon-based life is going to die out… Much more dangerous than Global Warming, though might take a while.

Just sayin’…
by RERT
Wed Mar 06, 2024 11:34 am
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

And yes, it isn’t much compared to a thermal plant, or very large given the size of the machine. It’s just more than people seemed to be discussing just now…
by RERT
Wed Mar 06, 2024 9:25 am
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Some posts back I came to understand that the operational picture was circa 40 MJ in, 10MJ of fusion power, 45 MJ out, at 10Hz, delivering 50MW net. That makes net power the same as waste power, and 50MW heat has to be defrayed somewhere. Is that right? The obvious places for heating are walls and c...
by RERT
Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:27 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Thanks! I didn’t ever see data supporting that story, not inclined to argue with your explanation.

The data up to 2017 shows nuclear erratically drifting down from about 2005, with fossil fuels flat to up and renewables rising, seeming roughly consistent with your description.
by RERT
Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:07 am
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

I think ‘counter intuitive’ is a little kind. I heard that France was reducing nuclear power and adding gas to make way for renewables, because the gas plants were required for load following. In that context if Helion can load follow, it’s a big deal. If it’s baseload cost is less than wind and sol...
by RERT
Sat Feb 17, 2024 12:06 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

The obsession is not with tritium burning, it’s with evacuation being a limiting factor for power production. Evacuating less means putting up with burning waste tritium.
by RERT
Fri Feb 16, 2024 11:48 am
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

If Helion's reactor could run in 'dirty' mode, still evacuating at 10Hz, but with two pulses between evacuations, it would generate circa twice the power. If peaking power is worth 10X baseload, which sounds very conservative given the above data, it could run like this 5% of the time as a peaker an...
by RERT
Thu Feb 15, 2024 12:57 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

This from the UK:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... rgy-crisis

Producers getting up to £6 ~$7 per kWh at some times.
by RERT
Wed Feb 14, 2024 2:09 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Mind you there is this: http://www.caiso.com/TodaysOutlook/Pages/prices.html I agree with you, tritium at $30,000 per gram is roughly $0.30 per kWh. I just googled to get the link above, but it seems to me to be saying the marginal price of power is over $0.50 per kWh (its about 6 am in California)....
by RERT
Wed Feb 14, 2024 10:09 am
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Ok, that’ll do. The patent makes clear that choosing whether to extract tritium or not was close to front and centre of their thinking at some point. They probably made a sane choice, and I’m not inclined to argue. The fact that selling the Tritium will make them a small fortune probably wraps it up…
by RERT
Tue Feb 13, 2024 9:15 am
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

Thanks SJ: i really appreciate your patience. I wasn’t aware or the topics you highlight were in the patent, I will read it. I was aware the 14MeV TD neutrons are much more activating than the DD neutrons. I struggle with any intuition about what that means - flux dependent! - for costs. The point a...
by RERT
Mon Feb 12, 2024 3:20 pm
Forum: News
Topic: EM Drive
Replies: 785
Views: 602067

Re: EM Drive

The data on celestrak which was referenced as Norad data on page 51 above shows no sign of that behaviour. Semi-Major Axis altitude continues to fall, as does eccentricity (erratically).
by RERT
Mon Feb 12, 2024 3:12 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

If they don't evacuate the chamber every time, D-T reactions, and subsequently 14 MeV neutrons, become a much bigger problem. Yes, I was aware, but there may be compensating advantages. Given the T is highly reactive, is it safe to assume that all of the T from one pulse would react with D in a sub...
by RERT
Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:27 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024
Replies: 660
Views: 104429

Re: Helion Energy to demonstrate net electricity production by 2024

So… if I’m hearing right, 1% consumption (give or take 10x). If that’s correct, it seems serious question as to why the chamber has to be evacuated, since the exhaust is basically the same as the fuel. Seems like inserting the 0.1- 10% back has to be much quicker than emptying it entirely. Can anybo...