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A fusion energy gain factor, usually expressed with the symbol Q, is the ratio of fusion power produced in a nuclear fusion reactor to the power required to maintain the plasma in steady state. The condition of Q = 1, when the power being released by the fusion reactions is equal to the required heating power, is referred to as breakeven , or ...
This corresponds to a total scientific energy gain of 0.7 and a capsule energy gain of 6. [14] While the experiment fell short of ignition as defined by the National Academy of Sciences – a total energy gain greater than one – most people working in the field viewed the experiment as the demonstration of ignition as defined by the Lawson ...
Lawson criterion of important magnetic confinement fusion experiments. The Lawson criterion is a figure of merit used in nuclear fusion research. It compares the rate of energy being generated by fusion reactions within the fusion fuel to the rate of energy losses to the environment.
In order for them to fuse, they must be pressed together with enough energy to overcome this coulomb barrier. [1] The simplest way to do this is to heat the fuel to very high temperatures, and allow the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution to produce a number of very high-energy atoms within a larger, cooler mix. For the fusion to occur, the higher ...
In 1997, JET set the record of 16 megawatts of transient fusion power with a gain factor of Q = 0.62 and 4 megawatts steady state fusion power with Q = 0.18 for 4 seconds. [3] In 2021, JET sustained Q = 0.33 for 5 seconds and produced 59 megajoules of energy, beating the record 21.7 megajoules released in 1997 over around 4 seconds.
The resulting plasmas are expected to generate at least twice as much energy as is required to sustain themselves at high temperatures (200 million K), [13] giving a fusion gain Q > 2, with an expected Q ≈ 11. [1] Construction site in May 2023
A fusor, exhibiting nuclear fusion in star mode. Inertial electrostatic confinement, or IEC, is a class of fusion power devices that use electric fields to confine the plasma rather than the more common approach using magnetic fields found in magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) designs.
The energy released by the Z-pinch effect would accelerate lithium propellant to a high speed, resulting in a specific impulse value of 19400 s and thrust of 38 kN. A magnetic nozzle would be required to convert the released energy into a useful impulse. This propulsion method could potentially reduce interplanetary travel times.