MIT Designs Less Expensive Fusion Reactor That Boosts Power Tenfold

jan_jes writes: Advances in magnet technology have enabled researchers at MIT to propose a new design for a practical compact tokamak (donut-shaped) fusion reactor. The stronger magnetic field makes it possible to produce the required magnetic confinement of the superhot plasma — that is, the working material of a fusion reaction — but in a much smaller device than those previously envisioned (abstract). The reduction in size, in turn, makes the whole system less expensive and faster to build, and also allows for some ingenious new features in the power plant design.

Comments

Does Lockheed believe in that design? Where's $$?

[PeterM from Berkeley]

At the ICOPS conference (International Conference on Plasma Science) I asked a couple of professors what they thought of this.

They thought it was pretty telling that Lockheed wasn't investing a lot more money in this concept than they are.

If Lockheed isn't putting significant money into it, maybe you should think twice about putting your money (figuratively speaking) into it.....

That said, I really hope Lockheed does succeed with this, and starts shipping units like crazy and displacing coal power production worldwide.

--PM

Re:Good for experiments, not powerplant ready

[Sardaukar86]

Do you want to live near nuclear plant? I don't, no matter how new and shiny with latest "bug-free" design it is.

Well done, NIMBY. I hold you arseholes partially responsible for the fucking mess we're in today. Thanks so much for your efforts!