Re: Nuclear fusion

ITER is projected to do just that. The regions of temperature and
pressure needed are well known and ITER will enter them. Fusion science
is getting there., I am more optimistic than the other contributors.

With ITER having demonstrated sustained fusion there is still the
question of designing and building power stations. The original
question a Manhattan type project. During wars things like planning
permissions and allocation of resources are done by fiat. If you could
say ITER will be built here, cut out all diplomatic niceties the
bulldozers move in tomorrow, you could build in in perhaps 3 years and
have viable power stations in 10.

Would we want a peacetime society like that?

A very significant question that has not been asked is whether D-T or
D-He3 is the more viable route. He3 and Tritium are mirror images of
each other in nuclear terms and roughly twice the temperature is needed
to overcome the greater electrostatic charge on He3. However He3 emits
a proton and will thus heat the plasma, unlike T where the energy of
the neutrons is lost, it might be easier to make He3 self sustaining.
An He3 power station will find it a lot easier to extract energy as it
will be directly in the plasma.

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