Thanks to financial support from investors and the US Department of Energy, the company will be able to design a high-power laser system that will later be used to power a fusion power plant.
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A very important element in the development of this technology is the so-called tokamaki. This is where a controllable thermonuclear reaction occurs, which can be an effective source of clean energy. In a similar way, although on a much larger scale, it occurs inside stars – including the Sun.
However, while producing energy in this way is not far-fetched, doing so at scale and with a positive net balance is. In other words, obtaining energy through a thermonuclear reaction is not something to be happy about. At least until it is done in such a way that much more energy is created than was used to start the entire reaction. Moreover, the volume involved is large enough to be a real alternative to fossil fuels.
Controlled thermonuclear reaction aims to be a way to produce energy in a cheap, efficient and environmental way
The big breakthrough occurred on December 5, 2022 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Instead of tokamaks, local engineers used inertial laser tuning. This method involves directing laser beams at a small, cooled ball of deuterium and tritium. Under such conditions, it explodes and a thermonuclear reaction begins. Scientists were able to obtain up to 2.5 times more thermonuclear energy than the laser energy allocated to carry out the entire mission.
Although this is an impressive result, the facility in which it was achieved is certainly not prepared to operate on a commercial scale. Xcimer Energy would like to lend a helping hand to the engineers, whose facility will be used to generate up to 10 times the energy put into the entire process. All this more efficiently than before and at more than 30 times lower costs. The laser system will produce a beam with a power greater than 10 megajoules, and the deuterium and tritium balls mentioned will be larger.
Read also: American nuclear energy has entered a new era. This time through energy, not weapons
According to the currently proposed concept, the laser beams will be placed 50 meters from the target. The beams will be fired through two small holes, and the initial ignition of a small amount of fuel will produce the energy needed to ignite the rest. This will translate positively into the efficiency of the entire process and associated costs. But will these assurances translate into reality? maybe!
Echo Richards embodies a personality that is a delightful contradiction: a humble musicaholic who never brags about her expansive knowledge of both classic and contemporary tunes. Infuriatingly modest, one would never know from a mere conversation how deeply entrenched she is in the world of music. This passion seamlessly translates into her problem-solving skills, with Echo often drawing inspiration from melodies and rhythms. A voracious reader, she dives deep into literature, using stories to influence her own hardcore writing. Her spirited advocacy for alcohol isn’t about mere indulgence, but about celebrating life’s poignant moments.
