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Japan's JT-60 Tokamak Sets New Plasma Record
Dipster writes "The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has announced that its JT-60 Tokamak has almost doubled the previous record for sustained plasma production, which is now sits at 28.6 seconds. It is believed that once 400 seconds can be achieved, a sustained nuclear fusion reaction will be possible. While 28.6 seconds is a long way from 400, it raises hopes for what will be possible from the ITER reactor, expected to be finished in 2016."
Let's see, 400 seconds - 28.6 seconds .... works out to about 50 years. Still.
Never shake hands with a man you meet in a fertility clinic.
Dude, you gotta change that pentium. ;-)
Common sense is not so common
I know its pretty unreasonable to ask "when is technology x coming out," but a rough order of magnitude (are we talking 10 years? 100?) has got to be doable.
It's about fifteen years away.
Five years ago, it was about ten years away. That's progress for you.
I got my Linux laptop at System76.
"...it raises hopes for what will be possible from the ITER reactor, expected to be finished in 2016."
Look at that, it'll be completed in exactly 10 years. Finally, this time 10 years means 10 years.
If you are about to mod me down, keep in mind that this post was most likely sarcastic.
Was I the only one who thought that it was for a 60-inch plasma screen?
"Sure there's porn and piracy on the Web but there's probably a downside too."
If the fusion reaction containment fails, the reaction quickly stops, without serious damage to the reactor and without any abnormal leakage of radioactive material. A fusion reactor can't "melt down".
Unfortunately, like most reactors, it will collapse into a pile of rubble after exactly 50 years. Which is why I prefer to use hydroelectric power...
Oh, wait, we were talking about Sim City, right?
-:sigma.SB
WARN
THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM
The greens (and other similar political groups) scaremonger against nuclear because it is (according to them), the greater of all the available evils.
:)
If you want nuclear to succeed, you need to find a greater evil, for example:
"
Scientists have released details of a discovery last month that when a tiny adorable kitten is poked with something pointy and sharp, an incredible amount of energy is released, many many orders of magnitude more energy than the kitten would consume in food during its entire life.
There is much speculation about where the energy comes from, as it clearly violates almost all known 'laws of physics'. It has been determined so far that the more cute and adorable the kitten, the higher the energy output.
But, with the energy crisis worsening, a proof of concept fully-automated-kitten-poking power plant has been set up with the ability to hold 30 cute and adorable baby cats. Even with an initial supply of 10 kittens, being poked 3 times per hour, the energy output is enough to supply a major capital city during peak hours.
Plans are being drawn up to build a plant large enough to supply the whole of Australia.
"
Suddenly nuclear doesn't seem like such a bad option
We could have nuclear fusion power now, we could have had it decades ago, were it not for political concerns. Consider this:
Such a setup should generate more fusion power than we'll ever need.
But of course you'd have to manufacture fusion bombs at a rate of one every five seconds. If a country were to develop that kind of manufacturing capability, it would be very easy to divert some of those bombs for weapons use.
Will the be able to keep it open^H^H^H^H powered on for more than 38 minutes?
You appear to have linked to a download of Duke Nukem Forever.
Blank until
Where is the balancing "bad" for fusion energy?
What all the helium produced from nuclear fusion, alarmists will be warning about the Mickey Mouse Effect, where everyone will start sounding like Mickey Mouse do to the increased helium in the atmosphere.
Maybe if we got the Iranians interested, they could get Nuclear Fusion up and running in a couple of years? They've been making some good progress with fission!
Zen tips: Pay attention. Don't take it personally. Believe nothing.