EMC2 news

[usesbiggerwords]

Has there been any news on EMC2/Polywell lately? I would hate to think site's namesake has finally gone under without ever really having a chance to prove itself.

[crowberry]

It is about ten months since Ladajo mentioned simulation work going on at EMC2. I guess we just need to be patient and one day we might have some more news on EMC2?

[ladajo]

Your wish is being granted.

[Giorgio]

I am interested into that too!

[mvanwink5]

It smells like good news is rolling out. I have been greatly surprised that good news has been so slow in being revealed. The problem seems to always be lack of money. Perhaps EMC2 has convincing sim results, but sims alone have not been that persuasive in the industry. I wonder if EMC2's old machines can be refitted to validate the sim results (assuming they are strongly positive)? I guess we will have to wait for results.

Wouldn't that be something if Polywell in the end lives up to our early hopes? LOL

[ladajo]

It does seem like things are moving again. I hope to see some good news as well.
Polywell certainly has the high density plasma corner of the market. I am sure that will pay off for them somehow, and accordingly we should see some advance in plasma and fusion science.
While ITER will break-even, it was never at this point in time meant to be viable economically. Finding a way to get to break-even in a small scalable form is the key. Even NIF is not small scale, nor cheap. However, these points raised, both ITER and NIF provide a means to further our understanding on the path to high energy density fusion based forms. If Polywell comes in at even 1/10 the size of ITER for a break-even unit that is a huge win in itself.
In order to move past our current epoch of the Information Age to what I see as the next epoch, the Energy Age, we need high energy density sustainable power sources. Fusion remains the best option over Fission and other lessor options for scalability, suitable densities, and affordability.
In the meantime, Fission certainly is a player for a gap filler. It would get us through the door into the Energy Age if we chose to execute.
For the interim, I look forward to seeing some solid news out of Polywell in the near term.

[crowberry]

The Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) 2024 conference took place during the time July 21–25, 2024. Only the titles of the presentations are available, but this paper is interesting: Ion-Beam-Driven Polywell Fusion Prototypic Neutron Source by Ross Radel (SHINE Technologies), Nicholas Krall (EMC2), Thomas Weber (LANL).

https://www.ans.org/meetings/tofe2024/s ... view-2633/

[ladajo]

https://www.emc2fusion.com/

EMC2 is working towards another go. There has been progress on the sims side.
What do you all think about crowdfunding as a way to try and help them out?
How could an effort like that get the word out to generate support?

[Giorgio]

https://www.emc2fusion.com/

EMC2 is working towards another go. There has been progress on the sims side.
What do you all think about crowdfunding as a way to try and help them out?
How could an effort like that get the word out to generate support?

That is a great news! Crowdfunding might be a way to go.
The most important thing will be to spread the news around as much as possible in the hope to get some of the media interested in the story.

[Munchausen]

Why bother with crowdfunding? If you have the competence to run a meaningful Polywell project you also have the competence to produce a good application for a research grant. Large sums are being handed out to vastly more esoteric research topics than the energy needs of the human race.

So a few million dollars for a basic explorative project in university lab scale is entirely realistic. Given that solid arguments exists that it is a good thing to do.

It will of course have to compete with other proposals.

[Giorgio]

Unfortunately for what I saw in the last years the reality of public research grants is not so straightforward.
Now you need to have some political backup or be part of very specific organizations/interests group, else you are left out fighting for the dimes with everyone else, unless you are lucky to find some private funds.

Merits, potential return, solid arguments and willingness to take risks are not anymore part of the American (and maybe even of the global) public scientific system.

Maybe I am too pessimistic, but if there is someone else with more experience in the issue he can give us some inputs.

[Munchausen]

The Helion company and TAE both had small government funding in the beginning. At some point someone must have made an argument that field reversed configuration is a good idea that should be tried.

If possible, so could also be done for the Polywell. Which is far easier to say than to do. Of course.

The sums involved are really minuscule. Let´s it is in the region of 5 million dollars. The Swedish Energy Agency alone is spending vastly larger sums on really, really crappy projects in bioenergy.

[Giorgio]

The Helion company and TAE both had small government funding in the beginning. At some point someone must have made an argument that field reversed configuration is a good idea that should be tried.

Yes, also Polywell had some small funding, the difference is not really in the "goodness" of the technology but in the "goodness" of the contacts that brought TAE and Helion to meet with the right private capital investors in the right time.
Polywell was not that lucky.

The Swedish Energy Agency alone is spending vastly larger sums on really, really crappy projects in bioenergy.

This is exactly the point I was trying to make in my previous post

[Munchausen]

This is exactly the point I was trying to make in my previous post

Has anyone applied?

[pbelter]

Kickstarter?