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All articles tagged with #fusion

Lab Replays Neptune’s Diamond Rain to Sharpen Fusion Power Prospects
science4 days ago

Lab Replays Neptune’s Diamond Rain to Sharpen Fusion Power Prospects

Lawrence Livermore researchers used laser-driven shocks on tiny diamond samples to reproduce the extreme pressures and temperatures found deep in Neptune and Uranus, melting diamond while recording its atomic structure, temperature, density and reflectivity. The work suggests slower initial shocks could improve fuel compressibility and boost energy yield in inertial confinement fusion, offering new atomic-scale benchmarks for modeling ice-giant atmospheres and guiding fusion experiments.

via Gizmodo|
#diamond#fusion#high-pressure
AI’s energy crunch revives a near-forgotten fusion reactor project
technology4 days ago

AI’s energy crunch revives a near-forgotten fusion reactor project

AI-driven demand for power from data centers is reviving a long-dormant nuclear reactor experiment near Lynchburg, Virginia. The 120-foot-tall facility, once a $400 million project that collapsed as energy markets shifted, is being reconsidered with BWXT overseeing its revival, as former SpaceX engineers argue the revived reactor could help meet the power needs of AI-era data centers and push next-generation nuclear tech forward despite past setbacks.

via The Washington Post|
#ai#data-centers#energy-crisis
Materials-Driven Fusion: Metals Boost Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions
energy1 month ago

Materials-Driven Fusion: Metals Boost Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions

US researchers at UC Davis and Berkeley Lab found that surrounding host metals can dramatically boost low-energy deuterium fusion, with fusion rates plateauing below 2.5 keV and, in some samples, increasing by up to a quintillion-fold versus vacuum; the effect is attributed to electrons and structural defects in the host metal shielding Coulomb repulsion, opening a new materials-driven approach to fusion and potentially enabling compact neutron generators and new modeling tools like DuctGPT.

via Interesting Engineering|
#deuterium#electrostatic-shielding#energy
The Sun’s Self-Regulating Thermostat: Fusion Keeps the Light On, Gravity Keeps It Going
science2 months ago

The Sun’s Self-Regulating Thermostat: Fusion Keeps the Light On, Gravity Keeps It Going

Fusion barely powers the Sun; its gravity continuously compresses the core, heating it just enough to keep fusion in a self-regulating balance with hydrostatic equilibrium. If fusion stopped, the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism would let the Sun slowly shrink and release heat, keeping it shining far longer as a natural thermostat with no moving parts. The Sun actually heats up as it loses energy, and internal changes propagate extremely slowly. Part 3 will trace a photon’s 100,000-year journey out of the Sun.

via Universe Today|
#astrophysics#fusion#hydrostatic-equilibrium
DOE Unveils Roadmap to Fast-Track Fusion Power by the Mid-2030s
technology2 months ago

DOE Unveils Roadmap to Fast-Track Fusion Power by the Mid-2030s

The U.S. Department of Energy released the finalized Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap to accelerate fusion energy development and commercialization, uniting science, infrastructure, workforce, and public-private partnerships under a Build-Innovate-Grow strategy to support fusion pilot plants and mid-2030s commercial power; progress hinges on future appropriations and partnerships rather than guaranteed funding, with AI/HPC and strong industry collaboration driving the effort.

via Department of Energy (.gov)|
#commercialization#doe#energy
Fusion startup eyes grid power by the 2030s with a Virginia plant plan
technology3 months ago

Fusion startup eyes grid power by the 2030s with a Virginia plant plan

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is advancing its donut-shaped tokamak in Devens, MA, aiming to produce net energy and plug a future 400‑MW fusion plant into PJM’s grid by the 2030s. The demonstration device is about 75% complete and could be operational next year, with the Fall Line Fusion Power Station in Virginia envisioned next. Google and Eni have already secured buyers, and while the grid interconnection process will take years, proponents say fusion could become a grid-ready technology sooner than some expect, despite ongoing challenges in sustaining continuous fusion power.

via CNN|
#commonwealth-fusion-systems#fusion#grid
HTS coil-winding breakthrough nudges fusion toward commercial power
energy6 months ago

HTS coil-winding breakthrough nudges fusion toward commercial power

Japan’s Helical Fusion has completed a one-of-a-kind coil manufacturing machine, built with Sugino Machine, to wind high-temperature superconducting cables into spiral coils for the Helix HARUKA reactor. The device targets a key manufacturing bottleneck to enable efficient production of HTS coils, a step toward commercially viable fusion energy by the 2030s, with on-site assembly to begin later this year and demonstrations planned around 2030 to prove net electricity, steady operation, and maintainability.

via Interesting Engineering|
#coil-manufacturing#energy#fusion
China’s 'Artificial Sun' Breaks Fusion Density Limit, Advancing Clean Energy
science7 months ago

China’s 'Artificial Sun' Breaks Fusion Density Limit, Advancing Clean Energy

China's 'artificial sun' reactor, EAST, has broken a major fusion limit by maintaining plasma stability at densities 1.3 to 1.65 times beyond the Greenwald Limit, advancing nuclear fusion research and bringing humanity closer to potential clean, limitless energy. This achievement, published in Science Advances, demonstrates progress in overcoming key challenges in fusion technology, which could inform future reactors like ITER.

via Live Science|
#china#east#fusion