Remnant heat of Focus Fusion

[Luis Ernesto Schmidt]

I am somewhat concerned with the question of what will happen with the remnant heat of Focus Fusion. Would the Earth not get heated like an oven whit all the remnant heat of thousands, even tens or hundrend thousands of reactors? Remember, we are talking about ONE BILLION DEGREES of heat in each reactor. Even with adequate cooling, there would be still a lot of remnant heat.
I hope, Dr. Eric Lerner would have some answers to this issue.

Friendly, Luis Ernesto Schmidt

[Lerner]

The amount of energy generated by people is very small compared with the amount received from the sun–about one ten-thousanth. Human impact on climate is indirect through the relase of greenhouse gases and through deforestation.

Even if , with focus fusion, energy use went up ten-fold, that would still be only 0.1% of the solar input. The drastic decline in the release of carbon dioxide will lead to a gradual fall in CO2 levels and thus a gradual cooling of the climate. If deforestation is stopped and reversed, this will add to cooling, returning the climate to about the situation of thirty or so years ago (ignoring natural climate cycles.)

By the way, essentially all energy use that does not end up as chemical changes adds to heat, regardless of the efficieny of the energy production. But, as I said, this waste heat is small globally. Locally, the fact that focus fusion reactors are small will allow the heat to be spread out and not concetrated as it is with GW-sized curent power generators.

[Rezwan]

I think the issue here isn’t the net energy generated by the process for consumption, but rather a misunderstanding over how the billion degrees is achieved, and if it needs to be cooled down:

Luis Ernesto Schmidt wrote: we are talking about ONE BILLION DEGREES of heat in each reactor. Even with adequate cooling, there would be still a lot of remnant heat.
Friendly, Luis Ernesto Schmidt

Isn’t this heat something that happens in a very small space? It’s not like you would walk into the room with the reactor and would feel a blast of billion degree heat. And you don’t have to cool it down, once you turn off the power – this is what needs elaboration. It’s like a whole different state of being.

[Luis Ernesto Schmidt]

Luis Ernesto Schmidt wrote: I am somewhat concerned with the question of what will happen with the remnant heat of Focus Fusion. Would the Earth not get heated like an oven whit all the remnant heat of thousands, even tens or hundrend thousands of reactors? Remember, we are talking about ONE BILLION DEGREES of heat in each reactor. Even with adequate cooling, there would be still a lot of remnant heat.
I hope, Dr. Eric Lerner would have some answers to this issue.

Friendly, Luis Ernesto Schmidt

If I well understood the answer of Dr. Lerner, the amount of remnant heat not directly involved in the physico-chemical reactions of fusion would be negligible and, as the bulk of the energy output of the reaction converts directly in charged electrons that will be captured to harness the electrical energy, it will be even less energy that could spread into environment.
Thanks for the answer.

[Transmute]

It is good that a estimated 60-70% of the energy will be converted into electricity, that much better then power plants limited to carnot cycles (~50% at best), but still that 30-40% of heat, how will a DPF fusion reactor be cooled? Could it run a steam/stirling carnot cycle on the waste heat to produce even more electricity? What would be the coolant (air or water?) and would it be closed or open cycle?

[jamini]

Fusion nuclear technology (FNT) as considered in this paper is comprised of all the materials, components

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[Tasmodevil44]

To answer the question proposed by Transmute, I think that the waste heat leftover …… after X – rays and alpha particle energy has been tapped …… can be tapped by helium gas as the circulating medium flowing through the hollow electrodes and other areas of the FF reactor. It would more than likely be a completely closed – cycle loop. It could be used for space heating …… or to grow things in a grenhouse in colder climates …… or to generate electricity using a high – tech turbine like one used for natural gas.

Lerner is indeed correct about how the solar energy we get from the Sun is 10,000 times greater than current human consumption by civilization. That’s why I have also been an avid solar energy enthusiast for years. But while solar is great for small – scale power and decentralized independece from the grid (i.e., residential use), it is not all that environment friendly in that it is spread thinly across the Earth’s surface and takes – up lot’s of good real estate. It is very wasteful in acres of land to capture and collect into a concentrated form useful for energy intensive industrial processes. Not to mention something that fickle and intermittent requiring expensive storage does not make for good and reliable baseload power. That’s why although I’m still a big fan of the enormous potential of solar energy, only a big nuclear power windfall can break the grip of fossil fuel depletion and global warming quickly.

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