Re:No, machines can’t read better than humans
by Retric on Wednesday January 17, 2018 @11:10AM
(#16169025)
Initial designs as in going back to the late 80's included much larger net energy generation and a steam loop for actually generating power.
The ITER that was being conceived in 1988 was a much bigger machine than the one that is being built today and its nominal fusion power was expected at 1000 MW, as opposed to 500 today. https://www.iter.org/newsline/239/1328
The reason for this was you would then have a larger cushion if estimates for power generation where off and an actual test of extracting useful heat past the super conducting loops vs simply cooling the device.
I don't think so. It may be approaching net positive energy production, but ITER was not designed to have that energy converted to electricity, it is lost. There is no way ITER was EVER going to generate electricity. (REF https://www.iter.org/proj/inafewlines)