Pure
Fiel a Verdad
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2001
- Posts
- 15,135
Hi cant
P: as you might have gathered i have nothing against research, or against funding fusion research in particular.
in fact, as stated, i believe one should keep an open mind about alternative source of and ways of generating energy.
that said, i don't quite see how 'nature's' use of fusion, 90 million miles away is going to suggest what the possibilities are, for fusion power in the US. and so far i have grave doubts about the practicality of fusion for power, but i wouldn't rule it out summarily; it needs investigation.
what do you think of the possibilities and practicalities of ethanol?
cant said:
Dear Sir,
Any power plant process which is only being sustained for nanoseconds is, clearly, still experimental. The fact is, yes, fusion plants are not yet online. So please give the researchers their billions of watt-hours, and let 'em work.
Because in nature, fusion works fine. We use it for all our energy, in a sense, right this minute. The sun is a gigantic fusion furnace, converting hydrogen (largely) into helium (largely) at a temperature of millions of degrees, just like in the song. What we are trying to do is develop a usable replication of that kind of nuclear shenanigans, one we can place where we need it, the output of which we can direct and control to our uses.
The fusion reactor, when we have it, will have to make more energy than it takes to run it, or it won't be any use. Building one which didn't would mean more research was needed, yes?
cantdog
P: as you might have gathered i have nothing against research, or against funding fusion research in particular.
in fact, as stated, i believe one should keep an open mind about alternative source of and ways of generating energy.
that said, i don't quite see how 'nature's' use of fusion, 90 million miles away is going to suggest what the possibilities are, for fusion power in the US. and so far i have grave doubts about the practicality of fusion for power, but i wouldn't rule it out summarily; it needs investigation.
what do you think of the possibilities and practicalities of ethanol?
cant said:
Dear Sir,
Any power plant process which is only being sustained for nanoseconds is, clearly, still experimental. The fact is, yes, fusion plants are not yet online. So please give the researchers their billions of watt-hours, and let 'em work.
Because in nature, fusion works fine. We use it for all our energy, in a sense, right this minute. The sun is a gigantic fusion furnace, converting hydrogen (largely) into helium (largely) at a temperature of millions of degrees, just like in the song. What we are trying to do is develop a usable replication of that kind of nuclear shenanigans, one we can place where we need it, the output of which we can direct and control to our uses.
The fusion reactor, when we have it, will have to make more energy than it takes to run it, or it won't be any use. Building one which didn't would mean more research was needed, yes?
cantdog
Last edited:
