Reply To: NIMBY FUD

[Ivy Matt]

Aviation Week has more details on the Skunkworks project:

http://aviationweek.com/technology/skunk-works-reveals-compact-fusion-reactor-details

Overall, McGuire says the Lockheed design “takes the good parts of a lot of designs.” It includes the high beta configuration, the use of magnetic field lines arranged into linear ring “cusps” to confine the plasma and “the engineering simplicity of an axisymmetric mirror,” he says. The “axisymmetric mirror” is created by positioning zones of high magnetic field near each end of the vessel so that they reflect a significant fraction of plasma particles escaping along the axis of the CFR. “We also have a recirculation that is very similar to a Polywell concept,” he adds, referring to another promising avenue of fusion power research. A Polywell fusion reactor uses electromagnets to generate a magnetic field that traps electrons, creating a negative voltage, which then attract positive ions. The resulting acceleration of the ions toward the negative center results in a collision and fusion.

The plan is to produce a test reactor each year for the next five years, culminating in an ignition prototype, followed by another five years of development to produce a 23×43 foot, 100-MW production reactor. The fuel used will be DT at first, although aneutronic fuels may be possible with this design.