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Z Machine Advances Fusion Race

Posted by kdawson on from the collaborating-with-Siberians dept.

Sandia Labs has announced a new milestone in Linear Transformer Driver technology that aims to solve one of the biggest obstacles to practical fusion reactors. Getting the current needed to "spark" a burst of fusion is doable; getting a constant series of sparks going to create a continuous chain of fusion bursts has never been achieved. The LTD, which allows the Sandia Z machine to fire once every 10.2 seconds, makes it look achievable. The press release (which has been picked up in a few places, but with no further analysis) says that practical fusion power could now be 20 years off.

2 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. Re:20 years off? by tom17 · · Score: 5, Funny

    *1-2 gigawatts is a pretty big reactor today. You mean 1.21, right?

  2. Re:And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wa by ivan256 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually, measured in light years, practical fusion is only 1.58e-5 light years away.