After years of doubts, hopes grow that nuclear fusion is near

Re:After years of doubts, hopes grow that nuclear fusion is ... by ncmncm on Monday December 27, 2021 @07:06AM (#29701804)

It expect there will be large and frequent shipments of electrically synthesized anhydrous ammonia carried in supertankers from multiple competing tropical countries to northern Europe, and large reserve stocks of it kept at terminals there, and inland regionally. That ammonia will be burned in existing gas turbines or converted to H2 for industrial uses.

Then, the trans-national HVDC transmission lines also being built out will enable access to reduced spot prices, while remaining strategically unnecessary.

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Re:After years of doubts, hopes grow that nuclear fusion is ... by dredmorbius on Monday December 27, 2021 @08:00AM (#29702152)

As I said, I'm a fan of hydrocarbon alkane analogues, not so much hydrogen or, as you suggest, ammonia.

Ammonia is useful as fertiliser. It's the 2nd most hazardous material noted in the US (I'd participated in an earlier thread pointeing this out), after the far more prevalent carbon monoxide. As a fuel, ammonia would prove an extraordinary hazard.

Earlier thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29211672

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Re:After years of doubts, hopes grow that nuclear fusion is ... by ncmncm on Monday December 27, 2021 @11:27AM (#29703802)

Ammonia is dangerously toxic if released indoors. Outside, NH3 is buoyant, rising away from leaks as fast as it evaporates. Besides its fertilizer and feedstock uses in the millions of tons annually, NH3 is already in heavy use as an industrial-scale refrigerant.

For those millions of tons of NH3 handled industrially, 1153 incidents is very small.

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