h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

we could ask the japanese for help what with all the data they have collected over the years

I'm sure those clever chemists could figure out a way of turning the Japanese government into oil.

Yes , we need nuclear power stations . Unfortunately we are building fission plants when what we really , really need is fusion power . Why oh why dont we get our finger out and get on with .

There's a lot of money going into fusion power, and it has made really significant improvements. I remember when I was a kid watching Tomorrow's World they were doing experiments which lasted fractions of a second. In recent years, I believe they're up to minutes and getting more power out than they put in according to some theoretical measure.

So, more time, more money, faster computers to do more precise models. Still decades away I'm afraid.

Can't help but think this is highly relevant:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306685/

It requires a real push [nuclear fusion] , like when the americans went to the moon .
When kennedy made that speach , about puting a man on the moon and returning him safely , before the end of the decade and saying we do this and the other things , not becouse they are easy , but becouse they are hard . We need some of that zietgiest now .

I forgot the link
http://www.iter.org/a/home.htm

best fishes...tod

GWB

we must have nuciler fusion before the axis of evil has it so that we have no dependancy on oil and all the lives that were lost in iraq for the oil are all in vain

thank you

and don't forget to vote republican



what do you mean the oil companies want thier money back

I am 100% confident that we will develop fusion power before any of the countries in the so called axis of

best fishes...tod

nonsense

look at all the WMDs the CIA knew were in saddams control

Fusion is at least 25 years from a commerical prototype. Even if you pumped all the money in the world into it you would get that down to below 20 years. There are so many theoretical problems and relatively few scientists working on them. There is currently only one Torus that can deal with Fusion plasmas the rest are just confining plasmas. ITER will be a big break through and MAY break even in energy in/out ratio but it could fall just short.

My favourite thing about ITER is the name, it is now referred to as ITER due to the Latin for the way or some such. Originally it was International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Simply changing the names origin has made it a lot easier to get funding.

i supose once you hear thermonuclear all you can see is mushroom clouds

…or that big glowing ball in the sky that keeps us all alive...

One related question that I've wondered for a while...

A huge amount of oil is consumed constructing a nuclear power station, mining the raw materials, producing the steel, cement, etc, etc. Also, concrete emits lots of CO2 while it sets.

How long does the plant have to run (presumably now emitting negligible carbon) before it's repaid its carbon deficit and starts being more "part of the solution" rather than "part of the problem". (That's the CO2 problem, not the waste problem, BTW).

Also, how much CO2 is emitted processing & storing the fuel after it's finished its useful life.

cheers, Martin