Re:General Fusion to build demonstration plant in UK
by innot on Thursday June 17, 2021 @12:03PM
(#27541115)
This lead me to the following - what if you make a compost pile the size (mass) of Sun? Meaning, it won't be made of hydrogen, but rather some carbon-based molecules. I'm not sure about other atoms in these molecules, but I think carbon is stable enough not to initiate nuclear reactions. So probably fusion won't start. What then?
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Re:General Fusion to build demonstration plant in UK
by thinkcontext on Thursday June 17, 2021 @01:06PM
(#27541874)
Gravity would compress it. Depending on the exact composition fusion could start, ie it would become a star. According to Wikipedia carbon fusion requires a mass of 8 suns to start but there's a bunch of hydrogen in compost so maybe that would fuse.
Re:General Fusion to build demonstration plant in UK
by shadofx on Thursday June 17, 2021 @01:05PM
(#27541864)
Carbon is capable of fusion, in a sufficiently compressed stellar mass. Everything up to Iron-56 can theoretically sustain fusion.
Re:General Fusion to build demonstration plant in UK
by jabl on Thursday June 17, 2021 @04:10PM
(#27544019)
Maybe it could work via the CNO cycle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNO_cycle ?