40 replies to this topic

[MeiSooHaityu]

Well, we are one step closer to big stompy robots. We can thank Lockheed

[color="#417fb9"]Gasp! Lockheed Skunk Works Says It Has A Nuclear Fusion Reactor[/color]



Of course it is still off in the distance, but it sounds promissing. I may have a REAL Timber Wolf yet before I die LOL.

Just wait for it, the Star League is just around the corner

Edited by MeiSooHaityu, 16 October 2014 - 02:19 AM.

[Karl Marlow]

While cool I don't think we would need a Nuclear reactor to make a real Battlemech. I'm more fascinated by the Robot videos showing how they autobalance themselves. Its the 'Gyro' and not the powercore that is holding up real mechs.

[Sirius Drake]

I highly doubt that this reactor is working better than all the other fusion test reactors around.

[Lily from animove]

ThomasMarik, on 16 October 2014 - 02:38 AM, said:

While cool I don't think we would need a Nuclear reactor to make a real Battlemech. I'm more fascinated by the Robot videos showing how they autobalance themselves. Its the 'Gyro' and not the powercore that is holding up real mechs.

This, in worst case we could still power them with a standard fossile fuel engine. But a workign robot able to hold balance needs to gather data, react and process them in a very fast time very reliable. otherwise it's nose would hit the ground too often. And its clearly not running on any Microsoft OS.

Edited by Lily from animove, 16 October 2014 - 02:58 AM.

[MeiSooHaityu]

ThomasMarik, on 16 October 2014 - 02:38 AM, said:

While cool I don't think we would need a Nuclear reactor to make a real Battlemech. I'm more fascinated by the Robot videos showing how they autobalance themselves. Its the 'Gyro' and not the powercore that is holding up real mechs.

A big stompy robot would need a good power source. We could do it like Evangelion (sp?), but who wants a robot lugging around a huge extension cord .

Sirius Drake, on 16 October 2014 - 02:54 AM, said:

I highly doubt that this reactor is working better than all the other fusion test reactors around.

Maybe, maybe not. In anycase, it's fun to read. It isn't happening anytime soon anyway, but maybe when I'm old the can stick my brain in a robot. Worked GREAT in RoboCop :/

[Karl Streiger]

Yeah great - on the paper Fusion is clean and safe.... but using Deuterium and Tritium will generate neutrons - yes the same neutrons that is used in the name Neutron Bomb - that thing that is great at soft killing targets.

last not least you have to brew Tritium using 2 molekules of Deuterium - may generate in Tritium and of course a Neutron -or in the safer Helium 3.
Using Helium 3 won't generate neutrons when fusing it to Helium 4

Edited by Karl Streiger, 16 October 2014 - 05:12 AM.

[Sirius Drake]

Karl Streiger, on 16 October 2014 - 05:10 AM, said:

Yeah great - on the paper Fusion is clean and safe.... but using Deuterium and Tritium will generate neutrons - yes the same neutrons that is used in the name Neutron Bomb - that thing that is great at soft killing targets.

last not least you have to brew Tritium using 2 molekules of Deuterium - may generate in Tritium and of course a Neutron -or in the safer Helium 3.
Using Helium 3 won't generate neutrons when fusing it to Helium 4

Thats all good and fine but whats your point?

[Davegt27]

big big news if and I say if you get more energy out then you put in

[Fishbulb333]

http://youtu.be/UAZNPfxuwXg

Edited by Fishbulb333, 16 October 2014 - 06:07 AM.

[Alek Ituin]

Karl Streiger, on 16 October 2014 - 05:10 AM, said:

Yeah great - on the paper Fusion is clean and safe.... but using Deuterium and Tritium will generate neutrons - yes the same neutrons that is used in the name Neutron Bomb - that thing that is great at soft killing targets.

last not least you have to brew Tritium using 2 molekules of Deuterium - may generate in Tritium and of course a Neutron -or in the safer Helium 3.
Using Helium 3 won't generate neutrons when fusing it to Helium 4

1. It's hard enough to generate a stable fusion reaction as it is, those reactors would be perfectly safe.
2. Lithium-7 breeds Tritium if bombarded by fast neutrons, no He-3 or Deuterium needed.
3. Tritium and Deuterium are Hydrogen isotopes, you appear to suggest them being Helium isotopes instead.
4. Fusion reactor =/= Neutron bomb. It's simply impossible for the former to generate the same level of neutron radiation.

I can't decipher the rest of what you're trying to say (no offense intended), but you don't seem to have more than a rudimentary knowledge on the subject of nuclear fusion.

As for the design itself, it looks like an inertial confinement design... So it's basically useless for power production due to the method by which it fuses the fuel. Magnetic confinement tokamak reactors are much more efficient for power production because they produce steady power output, ICF reactors produce power spikes instead. This is a pretty decent research reactor though, but that's just about the only thing ICF is good for.

[CocoaJin]

Alek Ituin, on 16 October 2014 - 06:59 AM, said:

As for the design itself, it looks like an inertial confinement design... So it's basically useless for power production due to the method by which it fuses the fuel. Magnetic confinement tokamak reactors are much more efficient for power production because they produce steady power output, ICF reactors produce power spikes instead. This is a pretty decent research reactor though, but that's just about the only thing ICF is good for.

Could they string a few together to smooth the spikes out...like a multi-cylinder engine, or a multi-spool motor?

[Karl Streiger]

Alek Ituin, on 16 October 2014 - 06:59 AM, said:

I can't decipher the rest of what you're trying to say (no offense intended), but you don't seem to have more than a rudimentary knowledge on the subject of nuclear fusion.

yep it is rudimentary.... only hobby research - i know that Deuterium and Tritium are Hydrogen isotopes.
But I'm really curious about the neutron - even if a fusion reactor generates less neutrons - they can hardly be stopped by magnetic shielding or else right?

Wait i have read something about the inertial confinement design - must have been on the atomic rockets page

[KraftySOT]

Well for one I believe Skunk Works.

Between the Nighthawk and Blackbird, those guys are legit.

This is actually earth shattering news.

[Lefty Lucy]

Davegt27, on 16 October 2014 - 06:02 AM, said:

big big news if and I say if you get more energy out then you put in

There are already fusion reactors that accomplish this, just not economically enough to be viable.

[Mavairo]

Wonder what they're building that they want a fusion reactor for.

[Lefty Lucy]

Mavairo, on 16 October 2014 - 08:32 AM, said:

Wonder what they're building that they want a fusion reactor for.

It's for military aircraft.

[orcrist86]

Search for mega bots. Alex, the resident artist, did work for them.

[DEN_Ninja]

Mavairo, on 16 October 2014 - 08:32 AM, said:

Wonder what they're building that they want a fusion reactor for.

Lefty Lucy, on 16 October 2014 - 08:33 AM, said:

It's for military aircraft.

I can has flying helicarriers?

[Abisha]

not really belong in general.
All scientists over the world are very skeptical what they claiming.
and with good reason, it's same like building a Iphone in 1950's the current technology it's unlikely.

might be passable in about 200 year's from now.

[KraftySOT]

Yeah but its Skunk Works.

This isnt some random company of hipsters from Nevada. This is Skunk Works.

The Sr-71, the U-2, the F-117, the B-2, stealth technology, GPS guided bombs, drones...

They wouldnt just make this up. Theyre claiming this is the engine of the future, and theyll have a production prototype in 5 years...thats economically viable.

Thats insane.

I mean people have been seeing Skunk Works things in the sky for 50 years and thinking theyre UFOs for godsake.

These are the people that make Bradbury, Clarke, and Asimovs dreams reality.

And I want to take a moment to go ahead and thank Wernher von Braun. Without him, thered be no Skunk Works.

I wonder what Bob Lazar has to say about all this.

If you ask him, theyve had one of these for 40+ years.