Keeb Kwm Thawj: Hauv Lub Tebchaws Ignition Facility, qhov twg lub lim tiam dhau los 192 laser beams blasted hydrogen roj pellet, uas emissions ntau zog tshaj nws coj mus rau hauv.
Lawrence Livermore Qhov Chaw Kuaj Mob Hauv Tebchaws
Nuclear fusion tau ntev lawm lub Holy Grail ntawm lub zog huv si tiag tiag. Kev sib tsoo ua ke ntawm hydrogen atoms cog lus tsis muaj hluav taws xob tsis muaj hluav taws xob nrog xoom carbon emissions, tsawg kawg ntawm cov khoom siv hluav taws xob thiab tsis muaj feem cuam tshuam txog kev puas tsuaj. Tab sis rau ib nrab xyoo pua cov kws tshawb fawb fusion tau raug txwv los ntawm lub zog ntawm lawv cov lasers thiab lub zog ntawm lawv cov magnetic teb - tsis tau ua ntej nrhiav seb yuav ua li cas mis nyuj ntau zog tawm ntawm lawv cov atom smashing dua li lawv muab tso rau hauv. Txog tam sim no.
Niaj hnub no cov kws tshawb fawb ntawm lub National Ignition Facility nyob rau Lawrence Livermore Qhov Chaw Kuaj Mob Hauv Tebchaws (LLNL) hauv California yuav nthuav tawm tias thaum lub Kaum Ob Hlis Ntuj, thawj zaug, lawv tau tswj kom ua tiav lub zog nce siab dua 1 - uas yog, ntau lub zog tau tawm los ntawm cov tshuaj tiv thaiv hauv lawv cov deuterium-tritium roj capsule (2,000 megajoules) tshaj yog muaj nyob rau hauv lub 192 lasas uas lawv blasted nws nrog.
Nws yog ib qho tseem ceeb, tsim nyog ua kev zoo siab, tab sis qee qhov ntawm qhov kev txiav txim siab yav dhau los, hais tias Debra Callahan, tus kws kho mob ntshav ntshav uas nyuam qhuav tawm hauv pab pawg LLNL fusion los ua tus thawj coj tshawb fawb thaum pib. Focused Zog, uas twb ua hauj lwm mus coj mus muag rau txoj kev.
Callahan paub LLNL yuav ua tiav lub zog nce ntxiv tom qab xyoo tas los lawv tau mus txog lub zog tawm ntawm 72% ntawm lawv cov khoom siv hluav taws xob laser. “Nws tsis yog ib qho surprise rau kuv. Muab rau txoj kev ntawm cov txiaj ntsig peb tau pom, nws yuav tshwm sim, "nws hais. Lawv tsuas xav tau me ntsis ntxiv zog laser. Yog li nws ua haujlwm li cas? Xav txog me ntsis hollow lub tog raj kheej ua los ntawm kub uas haum rau hauv xib-teg ntawm koj txhais tes. Qhov no hu ua hlo. Nyob rau hauv lub hohlraum mus rau ib tug me me roj capsule nyob rau hauv uas yog deuterium thiab tritium atoms.
Lawv siv kub vim nws tuav hauv x-rays uas tau tsim thaum lawv tawg qhov kawg ntawm lub hohlraum nrog 173 ntawm lub ntiaj teb lub zog tshaj lasers. Callahan hais tias, "Nws zoo li lub qhov cub x-ray," uas compresses cov roj ntau heev uas nws implodes thiab ignites fusion ntawm atoms nyob rau hauv nruab nrab ntawm lub capsule. Lub fusion ces propagates tawm nyob rau hauv ib nthwv dej ntawm qhov chaw, emitting prodigious tshav kub. Tag nrho cov no tshwm sim hauv ib billionth ntawm ib thib ob.
Nyob rau hauv inertial confinement mus kom ze rau fusion, laser beams blast ib tug pellet uas muaj hydrogen isotopes, igniting ib tug fusion cov tshuaj tiv thaiv.
Focused Zog
Vim li cas Callahan tawm LLNL thaum lawv nyob ntawm qhov kev vam meej? Vim hais tias, nws hais tias, National Ignition Facility tsis yog lub tshuab fusion. Lub hohlraum yog qhov zoo rau kev ua kom pom qhov hluav taws kub, tab sis nws tsis tas yuav muaj txiaj ntsig txaus rau kev tsim hluav taws xob txuas ntxiv mus rau fusion vim tias ntau lub zog laser seem poob rau hauv qhov kub kub ntau dua li cov roj hydrogen. Yog li ntawm Focused Energy (rov qab los ntawm Prime Movers Lab thiab Kev Koom Tes Tshiab Koom Tes) lawv txoj kev npaj yog muab pov tseg lub hohlraum thiab siv txoj hauv kev "kev tsav ncaj qha" - blasting lub lasers ncaj qha mus rau hauv cov roj capsule (saib schematic).
Lawv tseem tsis tau pom tias nws ua haujlwm, tab sis Callahan ntseeg siab tias ob peb xyoos lawv qhov kev sim yuav ua tiav 10x lub zog nce. Qhov ntawd yuav ua raws li cov nroj tsuag thib ob nce mus txog 30x nce, ua raws li qhov kawg ntawm 2030s yuav yog lawv thawj lub tshuab hluav taws xob ua lag luam, vam tias yuav ua tiav 100x zog nce thiab blasting 10 roj capsules txhua ob.
Tab sis nyob rau hauv nteg ib qho kev sib tw. Ntawm 10 ib ob, lawv lub tshuab yuav siv ze li ntawm 900,000 tsiav tshuaj ib hnub twg. Qhov no tsis zoo li shoveling thee rau hauv qhov cub; txhua lub capsule yuav tsum tau tsim los rau cov qauv nruj thiab txhaj tshuaj rau hauv lub tshuab nrog lub sijhawm zoo.
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Puas yog qhov tseeb? Qee tus neeg sib tw fusion tsis xav li ntawd. General Fusion yog Vancouver, Canada-based fusion tuam txhab uas nag hmo tshaj tawm nws tus kheej qhov tseem ceeb. Nws txoj hauv kev yog hu ua magnetized target fusion thiab koom nrog lub tshuab uas lawv txhaj lub pob ntawm hydrogen plasma rau hauv lub tshuab thiab siv cov hlau nplaum muaj zog los tuav nws thaum compressing nrog cov tshuab pistons es tsis yog lasers. CEO Greg Twinney cia siab tias yuav tsim kev cog qoob loo General Fusion yog lub tsev nyob rau hauv UK los ua fusion nyob rau hauv 2027, nrog rau kev lag luam tsim npaj nyob rau hauv thaum ntxov 2030s. "Thaum peb pom cov xov xwm zoo li no peb tsis xav tsis thoob," nws hais. Tab sis LLNL txoj hauv kev tsis tuaj yeem muab ntxiv rau hauv kev ua haujlwm fusion cog, uas yog dab tsi General Fusion (rov qab los ntawm $ 300 lab los ntawm Jeff Bezos, Shopify
Tus qauv tshuab nyob rau hauv kev tsim kho los ntawm Vancouver-based General Fusion.
General Fusion
Cov xov xwm LLNL tau tsim cov lus teb zoo sib xws los ntawm CEO David Kirtley ntawm Seattle-based fusion startup Kev Tiv Thaiv, txhawb nqa los ntawm $ 600 lab los ntawm tech tycoons Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, Dustin Moskovitz, Reid Hoffman thiab Jeff Skoll. Kirtley hais tias "Peb zoo siab tias lawv ntaus lawv cov kev tshawb fawb tseem ceeb rau lawv lub tshuab," Kirtley hais. Tab sis nws tsis xav tias raug hem los ntawm "cov cuab yeej tshawb fawb tsis tsim los ua hluav taws xob." Los ntawm qhov sib txawv, kev ua haujlwm ntawm Helion's 60-foot-ntev-ntev fusion tshuab suav nrog kev txhaj tshuaj plasma pob ntawm txhua qhov kawg, tsoo lawv ua ke hauv 100 lab degree cov tshuaj tiv thaiv tswj los ntawm cov hlau nplaum sib nqus. Hauv Helion cov txheej txheem tshiab, lub zog tso tawm hauv kev sib xyaw ua ke tsis tu ncua tawm tsam nws qhov chaw sib nqus, uas thawb rov qab - ua rau oscillations "zoo li lub piston," hais tias Kirtley, uas tsim hluav taws xob tam sim no, uas Helion ntes ncaj qha los ntawm lub reactor. (Yog xav paub ntxiv, nyeem ntxiv Faraday txoj cai ntawm induction.)
Helion tab tom tsim nws tus qauv 7th thiab tsim nws lub 8th, uas Kirtley vam tias yuav yog thawj lub tshuab hluav taws xob ua lag luam fusion - tejzaum nws txuas nrog daim phiaj hluav taws xob los ntawm qhov kawg ntawm kaum xyoo no, yog tias txhua yam mus zoo. Nws hais tias tsoomfwv cov tswj hwm nuclear saib xyuas lawv lub tshuab rau tib txoj cai raws li cov khoom siv accelerators thiab hom kev siv tshuab siv hauv tsev kho mob.
Thiab muaj ntau lwm lub tuam txhab nrhiav txoj hauv kev tshaj plaws rau fusion - lub tokamak lub tswv yim, nyob rau hauv uas cov pob ntawm cov ntshav tau txhaj rau hauv lub reactor chamber zoo li lub hollow donut, tswj los ntawm haib magnetic teb. Commonwealth Fusion, ib qho MIT spinoff, tab tom nrhiav kom ua tiav cov tokamak siv cov khoom siv hluav taws xob kub kub superconducting uas CEO Bob Mumgaard xav tias yuav pab kom lawv muaj cov cuab yeej ua haujlwm fusion thaum kawg ntawm kaum xyoo. Tib yam mus rau San Diego-based General Atomics (qhov paub zoo tshaj plaws rau inventing lub Predator drone), uas tau ua haujlwm tokamak rau Lub Tsev Haujlwm Saib Xyuas Zog tau ntau xyoo thiab tab tom tsim lub tshuab tshiab. GA kuj tau tsim kev sib cav ntawm lub ntiaj teb cov hlau nplaum uas muaj zog tshaj plaws, hu ua lub hauv paus solenoid, rau lub ntiaj teb txoj haujlwm fusion loj tshaj plaws ntawm txhua tus, $30 billion ITER nyob rau hauv kev tsim kho nyob rau hauv Fabkis. Yog tias lwm qhov fusion startups muaj lawv txoj kev ITER yuav tsis siv ua ntej nws tseem ua tiav qee lub sijhawm kaum xyoo tom ntej. Tshaj tawm nws cov thawj koom ruam, GA (muaj los ntawm billionaire Neal Blue) muaj kev koom tes nrog Savannah River National Lab los tsim cov roj pellets rau laser-raws li fusion tshuab xws li LLNR thiab Focused Energy.
Lub tokamak mus kom ze rau magentic fusion suav nrog lub reactor zoo li lub hollow donut ncig los ntawm cov hlau nplaum muaj zog.
Focused Zog
Leej twg koj tham nrog nyob rau hauv fusion teb, lawv cov kev thuam ntawm ntev tsim nuclear fission reactors yog tib yam. Fission cov tshuaj tiv thaiv (nyob rau hauv uas loj atoms ntawm enriched uranium tawg sib nrug) yields radioactive pov tseg xws li plutonium thiab txaus ntshai actinides uas yuav ua tau riam phom. Tsis zoo li fusion, uas yog ib qho nyuaj rau pib thiab yooj yim los nres, fission tshua yog ib qho yooj yim pib thiab nyuaj rau nres, qhia txog kev pheej hmoo ntawm kev puas tsuaj meltdowns. Tshiab tsim, zoo li cov Westinghouse AP1000 fission reactor, nyob rau hauv kev tsim kho nyob rau hauv ob lub US thiab Tuam Tshoj, feature passive kev nyab xeeb ntsuas thiab yog zoo meltdown pov thawj.
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Qee tus neeg ua lag luam atomic xav tias fission txaus. Bret Kugelmass, tus tsim thiab CEO ntawm Zog kawg, tau teeb tsa tsib xyoos dhau los los tsim lub ntiaj teb zoo tshaj plaws thiab kev lag luam nuclear reactor. Ua ntej yuav daws nws txoj hauv kev, Kugelmass, tam sim no 36, xam phaj ntau pua tus kws tshaj lij kev lag luam nuclear (thiab muab cov lus hais rau nws. Titans ntawm Nuclear podcast) kom khaws cov kev lag luam kev sib koom ua ke. Txawm hais tias nws muaj kev ntseeg nyob rau hauv lub neej yav tom ntej ntawm fusion, Kugelmass txiav txim siab tias lub ntiaj teb thawj koom ruam zoo tshaj plaws rau kev hloov mus deb ntawm fossil fuels nteg nyob rau hauv lub tsev modular fission reactors nyob rau hauv qhov yooj yim, pheej yig tshaj, txoj kev nyab xeeb tshaj plaws. Ntawm nws lub Hoobkas nyob ze Houston, Lub Zog Kawg yog tam sim no tsim nws thawj zaug me me, modular pressurized dej reactors, uas siv cov khoom tawm ntawm lub txee, tau los ntawm cov khoom siv hluav taws xob uas twb muaj lawm, nrog cov thev naus laus zis uas tau ua tiav ntau xyoo lawm thiab siv ntau dua. ntau tshaj 300 reactors thoob ntiaj teb.
Twb tau, Lub Zog Kawg tau muag 10 ntawm nws cov 20-megawatt units rau cov neeg siv khoom hauv tebchaws Poland, ob qho ntxiv rau Romania, thiab ib txhais tes rau Tebchaws Askiv. Kugelmass hais tias nws cov cuab yeej txawj ntse tsis yog nyob rau hauv cov khoom pov thawj, tab sis nyob rau hauv yuav ua li cas muab lawv tag nrho ua ke. Tam sim no nws tau tsa $ 24 lab coj los ntawm Gigafund, thiab cia siab tias thawj reactors nyob rau hauv teb chaws Poland yuav tsum tau khiav nyob rau hauv 2025. Yuav kom tau nyiaj txiag cov cav tov, Last Energy nkag mus rau hauv lub sij hawm ntev lub hwj chim kev cog lus cog lus rau cov neeg muas zaub kaum xyoo ntawm xoom-carbon nuclear fais fab hauv qab nqi khw. Kugelmass hais tias "Peb muaj peev xwm txiav tawm qhov tsim nyog niche uas tsis muaj leej twg mus tom qab," Kugelmass hais. "Peb dub boxed tag nrho cov haujlwm."
Raws li alluring raws li cov lus cog tseg fusion tej zaum yuav yog, yog Kugelmass muaj nws txoj kev sib tw qhov tseeb ntawm tsim, txhim khu kev qha fission tseem tuaj yeem tshem tawm nws lub duav tshiab nkauj muam nraug nus mus rau lub plua plav ntawm tus phab ej tech flops - nco ntsoov Betamax, Google iav thiab Tshiab Coke?
Tau qhov twg los: https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2022/12/13/national-lab-unlocks-nuclear-fusion-true-breakthrough-novelty-act-or-both/