Using a heating system, physicists have succeeded for the first time in preventing the development of instabilities in an efficient alternative way relevant to a future nuclear fusion reactor. It’s an important step forward in the effort to build the future ITER reactor.
Scientists have achieved a milestone: they have managed to stop the growth of instabilities inside a nuclear fusion reactor. How? Here’s a look at this energy source, which despite being challenging to control, is nevertheless extremely promising.Read the rest at Peak Oil — Exploring Hydrocarbon Depletion
One step closer to controlling nuclear fusion
1 comment:
The government is cutting the fusion research budget about as fast as they can cause they think they need to balance the budget.
I'm wondering if there is any connection with the debt hawks and the the vested interest in the Petro economy.
Basic R&D though it has the highest payback is usually one of the first things to be cut.
I'm on record that a major energy break though will be found before the end of the decade cause pressure from the marginal physical profit peak is here and will be getting worse and that driving investing.
There are at least 3 kinds of peak oil:
1. Absolute peak oil. The rate of physical extraction cannot be increased. I don't believe this will happen for quite awhile and we really don't want it to happen at all.
2. Peak Financial Profit from Oil. I believe this will happen sooner probably around the mid 2020s. The reason why it isn't happening now is that Big Oil can put off the costs of using political power and this unlikely to change until the technological dependence changes.
3. The marginal physical profit peak. It has already happened. The is marginal rate of physical profits that the economy gains as a whole from the use and extraction minus the external cost. The rate of profits physically can now longer make gains over the the increasing cost of use.
When folks talk about peak oil you should be very careful as to which peak you are talking about.
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