Fusion Power — it is real, possible and important, and it’s time to get serious
On Tuesday, December 10, 2013 the American Security Project hosted the first day of the 34th Annual Fusion Power Associates Conference. Entitled “Fusion Energy: Visions for the Future,” the conference featured participation from some of the world’s top fusion scientists.
Particular highlights included Dr. Osamu Motajima, the Director General of the ITER Organization. Since 2010, Dr. Motajima has led ITER in its efforts to build a ‘burning plasma’ fusion reactor in Cadarache, France. Motajima talked about the importance of creating a ‘project culture’ around the program in order to bring construction back onto schedule. The ITER project is a 7 nation treaty-based collaboration between the EU, the US, Russia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea. Dr. Ned Sauthoff, the Director of the US contribution to ITER underscored that the US remains on budget, but does face future budget challenges.
Also presenting were John Edwards of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, who discussed the breakthroughs in inertial fusion research ongoing at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Dr. Steve Obenschain of the US Naval Research Laboratory, Dr. Robert McCrory, and others talked about progress and pathways to inertial fusion (using lasers) outside of NIF’s approach.
There were a series of presentations about how to build a roadmap to developing a demonstration fusion energy power plant. Dr. Yuanxi Wan presented the Chinese roadmap to fusion energy – his presentation showed how aggressive China is in its efforts to develop their Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). Representatives from the EU, Japan, and South Korea detailed their national roadmaps. Speaking for the U.S. magnetic fusion program, representatives like Dr. Stewart Prager and Dr. Dale Meade of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory spoke about how the U.S. lacks a defined roadmap, but that the scientists should “fight for” an aggressive program of development – even though they are not currently on such a path. Presenters talked about the need to develop technologies that have “breakout potential” so that, if and when policymakers decide that fusion is important, the scientists will be ready to expand rapidly.
ASP’s Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate, Andrew Holland, finished the day with a call to action, saying that fusion is real, possible, and important. He underscored that the reason that fusion has not achieved its promise is not because the scientists have “over promised” – it is because policymakers have consistently failed in their side of the bargain. They have not invested the necessary resources to achieve fusion’s promise.
Clink on these links to find out more about fusion power and ASP’s 10 year Plan for Energy Security
What is fusion
Magnetic Confinement Fusion
Inertial Confinement Fusion
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OK you have looked at TWO of the THREE forms of FUSION …
The third process is RF Accelerator Driven Fusion, which few talk about … because they do not know … I guess.
There is a solution to the ‘energy need’ for the world and the US without generating green house gases or nuclear fission’s radioactive problems.
It is Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) as developed in the late 1970’s at Argonne National Lab under the Department of Defense (DOD).
You never heard of it, … right, few people have, … as HIF was set aside by the US DOD (& DOE) in favor of lasers, as lasers could, maybe, be a weapon and HIF could not be a weapon … so the money was bet on ‘Star Wars’ …
Fusion was first suggested as a potential power source in the late 1920’s. The first fusion reaction on earth was demonstrated in 1952. Then shown potentially doable in a small size, in 1976-9, at Argonne National Lab and Hughes Lab. Since then it has been endorsed for 35 years by the scientific community “as the conservative way to go” to develop fusion as an energy generation source … but never funded, as it was and is still BIG (expensive, prolific and “benign”). In 1980, the world did not need a BIG new carbon fee source of energy, as it does now. Fusion was put on the shelf or attached to research projects to see if it could be done in small (MW-GW) size. Fusion cannot be done small and be economical. Data suggests that fusion can produce 5 to 7 cents kWh electricity, $3.20 per/gal fuel, and $0.002 per gallon for potable water, all needed today and at a very reasonable unit price.
In 2009, Fusion Power Corporation (FPC) with Dr. Robert J. Burke and Dr. Charles E. Helsley, applied for a patent using heavy ions as the energy source to fuse the Hydrogen isotopes Deuterium and Tritium to produce Helium and heat, lots of high quality heat. It solves the problems that Germany, Russia, Japan and America were having in focusing enough energy on the pellet (target) to cause fusion to occur, and to control the neutrons. The patent for RF Accelerator Driven Heavy Ion Fusion has been granted in Russia, the US is still pending!
In December 2010, the process was presented at the 18th HIF International Symposium in Darmstadt, Germany, along with an economic model. FPC took the meeting by surprise as the US has been void of serious HIF research for more than ten years.
In May of 2011, FPC presented the process to the ‘Accelerators for Heavy Ion Fusion Workshop’ (AHIF) at Berkeley CA, sponsored by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the Virtual National Lab (DOD & DOE). Again, the result was “now is the time to move forward …” with a fusion program … as there is now a world need for a new, large, carbon neutral energy source. But no program has been established.
In August of 2012, FPC made presentations on the Single Pass RF Driver (SPRFD) at the 19th HIF International Meeting in Berkeley. They presented updates, showing the SPRFD process with support from current industrial suppliers. They presented the economic potential of SPRFD in providing synthetic carbon neutral liquid fuel, electric power and potable water. FPC showed that SPRFD is a transformational and disruptive technology, and ranks right along side a giant oil field as an energy producer. It’s unit prices are very competitive in today’s marketplace and provide a paradigm shift in energy production. (see their published papers)
The science has been done and it now is an engineering process. FPC’s SPRFD applies known and existing technologies, in unique and innovative ways, to provide the energy necessary for fusion to occur. FPC’s fusion power is much more developed than was rocketry in 1961 when JFK committed the nation (US) to go to the moon and back. This should be America’s gift to the world, replacing fission.
ARPA-E has encouraged FPC to write a full project proposal on ignition simulation for fusion, a $10,000,000 proposal, which FPC has done; FOA 0670-4536. But it was not funded in November 2012 (an election year) … for lack of funds from Congress?? It will be the world’s next BIG energy paradigm shift!
We need to have America provide the world leadership … not Mexico, Russia or China!! (nor Korea or Japan)
FPC’s SPRFD facility can produce per day, 500,000 bls of a carbon neutral synthetic liquid fuel (diesel-kerosene-gasoline), 15+ GW electric, and 2000+ ac/ft of potable water from sea water, all with no GHGs, no highly radioactive waste and no potential for a “run-away” nuclear meltdown, and all located where it is needed. FPC can also be eligible for carbon credits, as it discharges no CO2 into the atmosphere.
By 2050, fusion will be the source of most of the world’s energy. This is not wishful thinking, it is simply a way of stating that all other forms of energy that are based on the use of finite fossil fuel sources must decline in the next few decades. This decline will provide a major impetus for the rapid increase in the utilization of this new form of energy. Wind, solar, and bio fuels, are only “feel good solutions” of “We are doing something to solve the problem!”, when they have little possibility of generating the 14 TW needed in the next 40 years. I can show you the arithmetic.
HIF is the ONLY practical answer for non-proliferation of atomic weapons and, may be the real way to world peace … non-aggression for national energy supplies and national security.
Let us get moving to really solve the energy problem … not just ‘feel good efforts’, nor ‘35 more years of research’! It is doable today with a little support … political and financial.
For more information and detail visit http://www.fusionpowercorporation.com and see the presentations on Goggle Tech Talk “Heavy Ion Fusion” and YouTube “StarPower for Tomorrow”
Fusion is Clean & Green … and Very Safe!
Need more information contact me or contact@fusionpowercorporation.com .
Hal
Hal Helsley
hhelsley@wildblue.net
“If you don’t make a difference, think about who will!”
FPC, a California C Corporation, is an engineering design, implementation and licensing company. FPC’s mission is to provide the energy necessary for maintaining current levels of energy use (standard of living) and to provide opportunities for growth in the energy supply using fusion. FPC’s vision is the development of a fusion power source based on the use of the techniques of radio frequency (RF) accelerator-driven Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) that were researched in the 1970’s; a technique that has repeatedly received scientific endorsement.[1] FPC’s primary goal is to translate the science vetted design of a RF accelerator-driven fusion power system, to one that can be brought on-line within a decade – each installation having an energy output equivalent to that of a giant oil field, without the depletion problem, located where it is needed.
[1] Physics Today, June 2010, Page 59; Physics Today, October 2010, Page 8; “35 Years of Endorsements” at http://www.fusionpowercorporation.com ; AHIF reference papers at LBNL & 19th HIF Symposium reference published papers.
Where is the information on Accelerator Driven Heavy Ion Fusion as was developed at DOD in the 1970 and supported by many, many scientists as the ‘conservative ‘ way to go ???
We could be there by now !
Fusion is just around the corner. (to be more precise within the next 20 years)
Right
We heard this in 1960
We heard this in 1970
We heard this in 1980
We heard this in 1990
We heard this in 2000
We heard this in 2010
AND
I suspect we will hear this in 2040
The argument that we have not invested enough doesn’t go anywhere. If anything fusion has been way OVERSOLD.
Fusion is NOT yet at an engineering stage justifying billions and billions and billions of dollars.
NOW
If you want to argue that we should invest in understanding the PHYSICS involved behind fusion then that is an argument that has merit.
What is said bout Fusion above is true for Lasers and magnetic confinement fusion, but is not true for RF Accelerator Driven Heavy Ion Fusion. It is ready for the demo. But it has never been funded … it has no DOE home, or, funding!!! The science is there it is ready to apply.