Re:Fusion energy breakthrough by Livermore Lab
by gertlex on Tuesday December 13, 2022 @01:47AM
(#33965630)
I think you and the parent poster may be talking about different "goals".
My lazy quick skim of the main article here is that NIF has achieved a Q value of 1.2 presently.
ITER is aiming for a Q of 10 [0]; i.e. Q=10 means fusion outputting 10x the input energy, which is (by some considered) roughly enough to break-even in energy production [1], i.e. to recapture 10% of that energy (as heat or as electricity, not sure...)
So parent poster saying NIF is an order of magnitude away means Q=1.2 -> ~Q=10
And ITER seeking Q=10, means that's the goal that NIF is an order of magnitude away from, according to the parent poster.
My lazy quick skim of the main article here is that NIF has achieved a Q value of 1.2 presently.
ITER is aiming for a Q of 10 [0]; i.e. Q=10 means fusion outputting 10x the input energy, which is (by some considered) roughly enough to break-even in energy production [1], i.e. to recapture 10% of that energy (as heat or as electricity, not sure...)
So parent poster saying NIF is an order of magnitude away means Q=1.2 -> ~Q=10
And ITER seeking Q=10, means that's the goal that NIF is an order of magnitude away from, according to the parent poster.
[0] Q=10 for Iter: https://www.iter.org/sci/Goals#:~:text=ITER%20is%20designed%....
[1] Q=10 is a rough minimum for energy production (quick and dirty source from google) https://www.powermag.com/fusion-energy-is-coming-and-maybe-s....