Z Machine Advances Fusion Race

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.

Comments

Re:Do we need such "estimates"?

[Jerry]

Commercial reactors only 10 Years after sustained fusion is achieved.?

Na. Not even 50 years, or 100 years.

The lawsuits by the Environmental groups, the Green Groups, the Carbon Credits groups, the ACLU, the United Nations and the DOE will make building the commercial fusion reactor TOO expensive to build. The Environmental Impact Study alone will require at least 10-15 years, even if it is filled with techno babel written on toilet paper.

Besides, I doubt that a fusion reactor will solve the radioactive waste problem. More than likely it will add to the waste problem because all it takes to create radioactive particles is to heat any matter to extremely high temperatures.