Wither fusion? ITER in trouble.

[BenBurch]

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/06/iter-still-seeking-approval-and-.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/06/iter_funding_grab/

Well over-budget. And still in doubt of success.

Will Fusion be 20 years off forever?

This says to me that we cannot defer design and implementation of next-generation fission plants and fuel reprocessing facilities.

Fusion may never come.

 

[DC]

 

[Mikemcc]

Meanwhile funding for EMC2 to build the WB-8 reactors has been agreed, with plans afoot for WB-9.

 

[Trakar]

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/06/iter-still-seeking-approval-and-.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/06/iter_funding_grab/

Well over-budget. And still in doubt of success.

Will Fusion be 20 years off forever?

This says to me that we cannot defer design and implementation of next-generation fission plants and fuel reprocessing facilities.

Fusion may never come.

Fusion has the potential for a great propulsion system, where issues of break-even aren't as critical, but for power generation in the traditional sense (relatively easy and affordable to accomplish), it's probably more a turn of the next century technology than a turn of the next decade technology.

But perhaps, a hybrid fusion-fission process could become a useful part of our society much sooner:

Fusion–Fission Transmutation Scheme—Efficient destruction of nuclear waste

Abstract
A fusion-assisted transmutation system for the destruction of transuranic nuclear waste is developed by combining a subcritical fusion–fission hybrid assembly uniquely equipped to burn the worst thermal nonfissile transuranic isotopes with a new fuel cycle that uses cheaper light water reactors for most of the transmutation. The center piece of this fuel cycle, the high power density compact fusion neutron source (100 MW, outer radius <3 m), is made possible by a new divertor with a heat-handling capacity five times that of the standard alternative. The number of hybrids needed to destroy a given amount of waste is an order of magnitude below the corresponding number of critical fast-spectrum reactors (FRs) as the latter cannot fully exploit the new fuel cycle. Also, the time needed for 99% transuranic waste destruction reduces from centuries (with FR) to decades.

I had a copy of the full paper, but its not on this computer, let me look a bit and see if i can come up with some more details.

Addendum - http://ralphmoir.com/kotschFusFis.pdf