this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025
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One of the fusion startups says they can use the plasma B field directly. Basically making the plasma the rotor in an electric generator to induce current in a wire.
I really like this concept, wonder how viable it really is though.
It seems promising, they're acting like they're close. They've been promising concrete deliverables, I think they're supposed to have a working model that can actually capture the energy next year
You never know, but they're called Triton if you want to check them out. They don't share progress often, but when they do it seems pretty candid about their progress
Please don't let it be another Theranos, please don't let it be another Theranos 🙏
It's not. Maybe they'll fail, maybe it can't math out, but it's not vaporware
I've been watching these guys for a while. They have a real shot at getting something on the grid before ITER is even fully operational.
I'm guessing something like most of the magnets contain the plasma, but some transfer energy off it?
It's boiling water all the way down.
Seriously though, it's over 100,000,000° so probably not.
Water decomposes above 3000 C
First, fusion has 0 theoretical economic potential, but there is some potential for energy gains from 2250^^ + steam. Water deconstructs above this temperature into powerful HHO gas, that when ignited gains another 2500^^ that will chain react with higher pressure steam to make the steam even hotter/higher pressure. Minor problem of melting all known turbine material, is avoidable through just higher volume of pressured steam.
The one im aware of uses deuterium, aka hydrogen2, to generate helium 3. One of the byproducts being tritium, aka hydrogen3. This means there's potential for 2 deuteriums to mix with an oxygen molecule,this creating ²H2O, aka heavy water.
I'm neither a chemist, nor physicist. So someone could probably prove me wrong at the drop of a hat, but Im calling it close enough.:p
Which one? My first impression is that ignoring all the energy in neutrons should be pretty inefficient
Helion, probably.
the only things i've been seeing from those guys recently are investor pitches...
Yeah, I found what they do here
So they chose deuterium-helium 3 fusion where there is less neutron radiation. Still they need to breed helium 3 where a lot of energy is lost. Curious to see if they will reflect that in the energy production balance.
They seem to have a two stage reactor, where supposedly, the He3 is generated with a ~small energy surplus and then Fred into the bigger reactor.
Maybe it's based on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetohydrodynamic_generator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_CFCyc2Shs I don't listen to Lex much these days, but that was a fun discussion.
There's a great video by Improbable Matter on YouTube breaking down the issues with helion , well worth a watch https://youtube.com/watch?v=3vUPhsFoniw