[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Meeting Reminder: Fusion Update, presented by Ted Kochanski. 10AM ET Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Lexington Computer and Technology Group

Fri Jul 26 13:10:13 PDT 2024

https://www.shinefusion.com/blog/science-magazine-making-fusion-pay

From: Ted Kochanski <tedpkphd at gmail.com> 
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2024 3:44 PM
To: ggamota at stma-llc.com
Cc: Barry Kort <barry.kort at gmail.com>; Lexington Computer Group New Address Distribution <LCTG at lists.toku.us>
Subject: Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Meeting Reminder: Fusion Update, presented by Ted Kochanski. 10AM ET Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Lexington Computer and Technology Group

George,

Do you have a link to at least see the Headline as I don't subscribe to Science anymore

Ted

On Fri, Jul 26, 2024 at 3:38 PM <ggamota at stma-llc.com <mailto:ggamota at stma-llc.com> > wrote:

A story related to fusion appeared in Science Magazine I received today. The title is “Making Fusion Pay”. In his ultimate goal Greg Piefer of SHINE Technologies is making money along the way to show FUSION makes clean energy, he makes money by selling neutrons. A smart move for an entrepreneur with vision and making money along the way. 

George

From: LCTG <lctg-bounces+ggamota=stma-llc.com at lists.toku.us <mailto:stma-llc.com at lists.toku.us> > On Behalf Of Ted Kochanski via LCTG
Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2024 1:23 PM
To: Barry Kort <barry.kort at gmail.com <mailto:barry.kort at gmail.com> >
Cc: Lexington Computer Group New Address Distribution <LCTG at lists.toku.us <mailto:LCTG at lists.toku.us> >
Subject: Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Meeting Reminder: Fusion Update, presented by Ted Kochanski. 10AM ET Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Lexington Computer and Technology Group

All,

ITER has always been a big ?   -- because it is a project based on a handshake deal between Governments [US & USSR -- in the persons of RR & Michale Gorbochov in 1985]  -- these were at the time the two leading countries in the field of magnetic fusion science and engineering -- but the deal was done just to have a good PR value for the Reykjavik Summit 

OK the spirit was good the scientists involved were earnest and dedicated [one of them was a guy who was a graduate student working with me at UT Austin]  -- but the overall execution was - well unbelievably bureaucratic and geo-political  .....

Now sometimes handshakes work out well -- such as the legendary handshake between CEO's of Boeing and Pan Am which led to the 747 

In the case of ITER all that happened for several years was an argument on where to build it -- followed by the sign-on of a number of other countries that wanted a piece of the action 

then the key decision to use superconductive magnets -- but despite the then recent discovery of HIgh TC superconductors -- with a massive amount of sci/tech optimism -- the commitment to use the then established Low TC superconductors -- condemning the project to gargantuan scale

then as the number of participating countries ballooned the bureaucratic nature of the project exponentially got worse -- leading to the current ridiculous timetable and even more ridiculous over-all cost

Still -- despite the huge growth of privately funded fusion work by CFS and the rest -- there is a case to be made for ITER as a world center for the ancillaries that the private sector start-ups will try to avoid but actually probably can greatly benefit from-- such as:

1.	blanket sci/tech 

1.	especially how to get the Tritium out of the blanket and ready to be injected into the Tokamak

2.	materials for the first wall and high heat load regions of the diverter 

1.	and the overall problem of getting residual heat [not expected to be very [if at all] useful for electric power generation] out of the tokamak

3.	some confinement / stability science involving high energy alphas

The testing associated with the above issues will be hard to recover expenses for the CFS, Tokamak Energy and other Tokamak or even Stellerator-based Fusion Power privately funded start-ups

So -- ITER should be done -- just blow-off the associated development of DEMO

Ted

On Wed, Jul 24, 2024 at 2:16 PM Barry Kort via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us <mailto:lctg at lists.toku.us> > wrote:

Sabine Hossenfelder just posted an update on challenges and delays facing the ITER Fusion project in France ...

Costs explode for Nuclear Fusion Flagship project -- Is it still worth the money? <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nscGizM9NQw> 

Barry

-- 

The Process of Enlightenment Works In Mysterious Plays. 

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