OT: fusion is getting SOOOO close -> then comes fusion engines!!! ::P muhuhahah(no j

[Phoenix-D]

Originally posted by Nocturnal:
How far can you take that? Wouldn't it be most efficient to create one very giant fusion reactor to power an entire country the size of, say, the United States? But doesn't that take up a massive amount of rare fuel in one place?

Eventually we will run into the same fuel problems with nuclear power plants that we have with fossil fuels.

I'm into microwave solar energy.

No. You loose power going along transmission lines. As for fuel being rare..hah. Fusion runs off of, at worst, isotopes of hydrogen. Hydrogen is ridculously common, and the isotopes just aren't that rare.

As far as microwave solar energy goes: have fun dealing with atmospheric interference, the side effects of dumping that much energy through the atmosphere, and the fun effects you get if the beam is partially off-target.

[Cyrien]

The Hydrogen needed for Fusion is found in common water. Something like one out of every 3 water molecules on earth possess it.

Heh. Maybe eventually we burn up all the water on Earth for Fusion power.

[ November 27, 2003, 05:19: Message edited by: Cyrien ]

[Cyrien]

Heh. Intersting secondary thought on using solar energy of any type.

If you go that way you are still using a Fusion Reactor. One much larger than we can currently ever hope to create.

I guess for fusion the proof is in the pudding as far as bigger is better is concerned.

For some of the best info on Fusion Reactors and current research progress etc you can check out
ITER "The Way"

[ November 27, 2003, 05:41: Message edited by: Cyrien ]

[Fyron]

As far as microwave solar energy goes: have fun dealing with atmospheric interference, the side effects of dumping that much energy through the atmosphere, and the fun effects you get if the beam is partially off-target.

Which if implemented how it is proposed by the major proponents of such technology would be nil.

[Atrocities]

This is all fun and stuff, but I will wager a buck that fussion engines that can be used for space flight will not become a reality in our life times, or that of our grand childrens. The oil companies simply will not allow it to happen.

[oleg]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
This is all fun and stuff, but I will wager a buck that fussion engines that can be used for space flight will not become a reality in our life times, or that of our grand childrens. The oil companies simply will not allow it to happen.

We will run out of oil in less then 100 years - and it it is the most optimistic prognosis. Sooner or later we MUST develop a profitabble Fussion reaction or our whole civilization will cramble

[ November 27, 2003, 14:21: Message edited by: oleg ]

[Fyron]

We were supposed to run out of oil a few years ago Oleg... there is far more oil around than you think there is.