Piston-Powered Nuclear Fusion

katarn writes "General Fusion is a startup proposing they can create commercially viable fusion using acoustic shock waves, triggered by 220 precisely controlled pneumatic pistons. Their approach is based on a US Naval research concept called 'Linus' and old research done by General Atomics. They feel we now have the high-speed, digital processing capable of pulling off this feat, where decades ago the technology was not available. I think we can hold off on the 'vaporware' claims for a bit; everyone is aware of the horrible track record for turning fusion concepts into reality, but they don't claim to be the first with the idea or that there are not substantial challenges in the way. If nothing else, it is a fascinating concept." Los Alamos National Laboratory has further details on this type of fusion, and longtime LANL researcher Ronald Kirkpatrick did an external assessment (PDF) of General Fusion's plans. Popular Science had a lengthy story about the company a while back. The reason they're back in the headlines now is that they've secured enough funding to begin work on a prototype reactor.

Comments

OK, interesting

[PinkyGigglebrain]

Skimmed the article, they're planing to do with pistons what would be done explosives in a normal nuclear bomb.

Wouldn't it be funny if it worked?

So its a hydrogen bomb

[MichaelSmith]

...with the fission component replaced by good old fashioned pistons? I bet it sounds great. There has certainly been a lot of modelling in this direction.

There is reason to be concerned.

[reporter]

The article by "Technology Review" mentions that significant parts of the power-generation device remain to be researched and developed. That is a bad sign.

Startups, by their very nature, do not succeed on a bet that the technology will be invented. Venture capitalists do not support fairytale wishes.

Startups use existing, proven technology and package it in new ways to serve a need of the consumer. Startups are about commercializing a technology, not inventing it.

What startup does breakthrough research? None.

Research is the luxury of universities (with infinite time horizons) and monopolists like Microsoft .

Re:There is reason to be concerned.

[Bacon Bits]

It's exactly that kind of short-sighted thinking that has driven nearly every commercial research and development laboratory out of the United States.

Re:There is reason to be concerned.

[Anonymous Coward]

In his defense, a company can't exactly sustain itself without some type of income.

Research is something an established company can afford to do.

Re:There is reason to be concerned.

[Jurily]

Research is something an established company can afford to do.

Mod me flamebait, but from the amount of money the US government spends on securing oil, there really shouldn't be any problems with fusion research funding.

Re:There is reason to be concerned.

[Anonymous Coward]

Startups, by their very nature, do not succeed on a bet that the technology will be invented. Venture capitalists do not support fairytale wishes.

So very, very ill-informed. Betting on needed technology being invented is a risk and the very thing venture capitalists do is to take great risks expecting to reap in big profits. Profits that cover more than all their other risky investments that fail since they expect most to fail. That is the definition of venture capitalist.

Re:There is reason to be concerned.

[Anonymous Coward]

Mod me flamebait, but from the amount of money the US government spends on securing oil, there really shouldn't be any problems with fusion research funding.

Why flamebait? You are correct. I would also like to add the US military budget...

The US has the means to fund this research. It has chosen not to do so.

Re:There is reason to be concerned.

[smithmc]

-Think of tanks powered by this energy, think of submarines, think of planes.
-No... You must think big like the Americans, think of BOMBS!

Oh, wait.

Right. 'Cause the US is the only country in the world with nuclear weapons.

Re:Fantastic Fiction

[evanbd]

There's a reason fifties novels sound like that. It has to do with art imitating life, not the other way around. General Atomics was real. So were General Dynamics and General Electric. So were companies like North American Aviation and The Aerospace Corporation. Some of them even still exist.

Re:They are already ahead of the government...

[Anonymous Coward]

Who ISNT ahead of the incompetent, useless government?

Re:Actively stabilized fusion

[Entropius]

I don't know what's scarier: that your post was so full of technical jargon, or that I understood all of it.

I think I need to switch fields.

Re:Few bad points

[amRadioHed]

Relocating to the Vancouver area is a bad point? What world are you living in? On Earth Vancouver is frequently ranked among the planets most livable cities.