Oxford's JET fusion lab breaks record

[dan_b]

Ran for 5 seconds and produced 11MW of heat. Doesn't say how much power was consumed in the run though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60312633

[Moxi]

Nice spot Dan, thats a good run at JET, they use two 500MWfly wheels to run their experiments IIRC. The experiments are more about stability and containment of the reaction than obtaining meaningful energy - that part of the task is more at the doorstep of ITER down in the south of France where the infrastructure and space will allow them to experiment with energy extraction methods. That site will also have its own connection to a new nearby Nuclear power station to provide longer steady state power supplies to allow them to advance the experimental run time capability.

However the fact that the team at JET have achieved this run based on their constrained site is a worthy of global recognition and a tribute to the JET teams ingenuity and capability.

Moxi

[dan_b]

Quite amusing really that a fusion plant needs to be connected basically to a nuclear power station to ensure it has a decent enough power supply to start it running - that's one heck of a starter motor!

[Moxi]

Yes its insane how much energy is required to crank a fusion reactor into operation - but then again we shouldn't be surprised after all the detonator for a thermal nuclear bomb is a fission bomb

The main reason ITER needs the nuclear power station close to hand though is to ensure safe containment and a secure auxiliary supply for the reaction while they figure out all the details about stabilising the fusion reaction using its own power output, once you have started the reaction the empirical calculations show that theres vastly more energy available for harvesting even after you have deducted the operation power demand not least of which is the electromagnetic containment fields they just need the security of the auxiliary power feed for when their experiments invariably goes wrong while they are learning - never imagined a nuclear reactor as a comfort blanket

It really starts to feel like early star-trek episodes when you read into the science of it.

Moxi

[nowty]

I've not read either of the two threads in detail, but the Chinese one did something similar for 1056 seconds last month.
https://camelot-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... f=18&t=621