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Archive for the ‘nuclear energy’ category: Page 16

Aug 16, 2023

Nuclear Fusion Heats Up

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics

The observation of self-heating in magnetically confined plasmas represents a milestone on the road to fusion reactors based on such plasmas.

A fusion reactor would generate electricity using the energy released by nuclear-fusion reactions occurring in a plasma. A key step in the race toward realizing the dream of such a reactor is the creation of a burning plasma—one in which the fusion reactions themselves supply most of the heating needed to keep the plasma at fusion-relevant temperatures. This step has recently been demonstrated for inertially confined plasmas [1, 2] (see Research News: Ignition First in a Fusion Reaction) but has so far remained elusive for magnetically confined ones. This goal could now be within reach thanks to direct evidence for fusion-induced heating of electrons in magnetically confined plasmas obtained by Vasily Kiptily and colleagues at the UK-based Joint European Torus (JET) facility [3].

The fusion of two heavy hydrogen isotopes—deuterium (D) and tritium (T)—presents the most promising path to a fusion reactor, both because of the relative ease in getting these isotopes to fuse and because of the large amount of energy released in each reaction. When D and T fuse, an alpha particle (a helium-4 nucleus) and a neutron are generated, carrying the released energy in the form of kinetic energy. The goal of achieving energy production from controlled fusion on Earth relies on the created alpha particles remaining in the plasma and heating the fusion fuel to keep the reactions going, while the kinetic energy of neutrons escaping the plasma is converted to electrical energy.

Aug 15, 2023

US scientists trying to harness the power of the sun have made a 2nd major breakthrough for the future of sustainable, green energy

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, sustainability

For the second time, scientists have taken one significant step forward toward a future that runs on clean, sustainable nuclear fusion-powered energy.

Aug 10, 2023

Inside MIT’s nuclear reactor laboratory

Posted by in categories: climatology, nuclear energy

How an old reactor could spark new technologies.

Aug 10, 2023

Nuclear-Powered Rockets Are One Step Closer to Reality

Posted by in category: nuclear energy

DRACO is a demonstrate prototype of a nuclear-powered rocket that is scheduled for launch in 2027.

Aug 9, 2023

NASA’s Building a Nuclear Rocket That Would Get Us to Mars in Just 6 Weeks

Posted by in categories: chemistry, nuclear energy, space travel

Deep space is a hostile environment for humans, which makes the long journey to Mars a serious stumbling block for manned missions. A nuclear-powered rocket could slash the journey time, and NASA has announced plans to test the technology by 2027 at the latest.

Most spacecraft to date have used chemical rockets packed with fuel and oxidizer, which rely on combustion to propel them through space. A nuclear-powered rocket would instead use a fission reactor to heat liquid hydrogen to very high temperatures and then blast it out the back of the spacecraft.

These kinds of engines could be up to three times more efficient than those in conventional rockets, and could cut the time to transit from Earth to Mars from roughly seven months to as little as six weeks. NASA has teamed up with DARPA to make the idea a reality, signing a deal with defense contractor Lockheed Martin to launch a working prototype into space as early as 2025.

Aug 8, 2023

US scientists achieve net energy gain for second time in a fusion reaction

Posted by in categories: innovation, nuclear energy

US scientists have achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction for the second time since a historic breakthrough in December last year in the quest to find a near-limitless, safe and clean source of energy.

Scientists at the California-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory repeated the breakthrough in an experiment in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on 30 July that produced a higher energy yield than in December, a Lawrence Livermore spokesperson said.

Aug 8, 2023

US uses lasers to achieve fusion energy gain for second time

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics

Using a 192-beam laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility, researchers heated and compressed hydrogen atoms, exceeding solar temperatures.

Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have successfully repeated the breakthrough experiment in nuclear fusion performed in December last year, Reuters.

The experiment performed on July 30 had a higher yield than what was obtained in December, a spokesperson said.

Aug 7, 2023

This tiny fusion reactor is made out of commercially available parts

Posted by in category: nuclear energy

😗😁 year 2022.


Nuclear startup Avalanche Energy has modest funding, a skeleton crew, a pocket-sized prototype — and grand ambitions.

Aug 7, 2023

Nuclear fusion milestone achieved in huge boost for near-limitless clean energy

Posted by in category: nuclear energy

Scientists have achieved a net energy gain in nuclear fusion for the second time, marking major progress towards realising the potential of the near-limitless energy source.

A team at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, who first achieved the feat last December, claimed to have passed a new milestone with fusion ignition by producing even greater energy output than the original experiment.

The nuclear fusion process has been described as the “holy grail” of clean energy, as it requires no fossil fuels and leaves behind no hazardous waste. Instead it mimics the natural reactions that occur within the Sun, though harnessing its potential has puzzled scientists since the 1950s.

Aug 6, 2023

‘We repeated ignition’: Lab behind nuclear fusion breakthrough duplicates success after months of near-misses

Posted by in categories: military, nuclear energy, particle physics

They finally reached ignition again last week, according to a statement Sunday from the lab. The news was first reported by the Financial Times.

“In an experiment conducted on July 30, we repeated ignition,” the statement read. “Analysis of those results is underway. As is our standard practice, we plan on reporting those results at upcoming scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed publications.”

Unlike fission, the process used in current nuclear power plants, fusion involves smashing atoms together instead of splitting them apart. It theoretically can supply carbon-free energy without long-lasting radioactive waste. But generations of scientists have struggled to master it in a controlled reaction, even though it has been the power source of nuclear weapons for decades.

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