Spacecraft of the Future Could Be Powered By Lattice Confinement Fusion

[Peter1469]

Spacecraft of the Future Could Be Powered By Lattice Confinement Fusion

OK, so fusing atoms inside room temperature metals. If it can power spacecraft it should have earthly application. And it will be much safer than conventional fission.

Nuclear fusion is hard to do. It requires extremely high densities and pressures to force the nuclei of elements like hydrogen and helium to overcome their natural inclination to repel each other. On Earth, fusion experiments typically require large, expensive equipment to pull off.

But researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have now demonstrated a method of inducing nuclear fusion without building a massive stellarator or tokamak.** In fact, all they needed was a bit of metal, some hydrogen, and an electron accelerator.


The team believes that their method, called lattice confinement fusion, could be a potential new power source for deep space missions. They have published their results in two papers in Physical Review C.


“Lattice confinement” refers to the lattice structure formed by the atoms making up a piece of solid metal. The NASA group used samples of erbium and titanium for their experiments. Under high pressure, a sample was “loaded” with deuterium gas, an isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron. The metal confines the deuterium nuclei, called deuterons, until it’s time for fusion.

** This is why we have done fusion, but not in a commercially viable way.

[Calypso Jones]

Does that Hadron collider thingy work into this some way?

[Peter1469]

Does that Hadron collider thingy work into this some way?

No. The Large Hardon Collider is a high energy particle collider. It is not a nuclear energy reactor, fusion or fission.

This is a good explanation according to the scientists who worked there when this was made. Skip to 45 seconds

[Lummy]

Isn't the Hadron Collider where they conduct controversial experiments that could tear a hole in our universe and get us all wrecked forever?

What are these people giggling about?

[Lummy]

Does that Hadron collider thingy work into this some way?

Very interesting question. Yes, I would think.

[Lummy]

If they ever discovered anything really profound, would they stop goofing off and tell us?

[Peter1469]

If they ever discovered anything really profound, would they stop goofing off and tell us?

LHC discoveries.

[Lummy]

Spacecraft of the Future Could Be Powered By Lattice Confinement Fusion

OK, so fusing atoms inside room temperature metals. If it can power spacecraft it should have earthly application. And it will be much safer than conventional fission.



** This is why we have done fusion, but not in a commercially viable way.

Back in the early 90's, some in this field made us think we were a lot closer to fusion reactors than we apparently were.

Back then, I was thinking they were close to a fusion module the size of a Quaker Oats can that you could put next to your water heater and generate energy for free to power everything in your house and your car.

Was I wrong or have I just missed something?

[Peter1469]

Back in the early 90's, some in this field made us think we were a lot closer to fusion reactors than we apparently were.

Back then, I was thinking they were close to a fusion module the size of a Quaker Oats tube that you could put next to your water heater and generate energy for free to power everything in your house and your car.

Was I wrong or did I just miss something?

We have a working fusion reactor now. It just isn't commercially viable.

We have small scale fission reactors (supposed to not melt down) now and many are in the works here, but the approval process takes a long time as well as the lawsuits from the Greens.

And the military has put out solicitations for two types of small transportable fission reactors to be used in garrison and in field environments.

[Lummy]

I don't know what could be greener than a fusion reactor.