A New Way to Achieve Nuclear Fusion: Helion

What Hacker News said

Strong rec TechTechTech · 2023-09 · on “Nucor and Helion to Develop 500 MW Fusion Power Plant by 2030”

If you want to learn more about Helion, I recommend you watch this excellent video by Real Engineering [this video]

Recommends jseliger · 2022-12 · on “Why fusion will never happen”

Video regarding Helion that sama just posted: [this video] . Note that Helion says it can get D + D to work, which eliminates much of the OP's concern about tritium. The company is also hiring: [LINK] I do not personally have the ability or knowledge to independently evaluate claims, but the history of "it will never work" for something that does not outright violate the laws of physics as we understand them is notable too.

Recommends HarHarVeryFunny · 2022-12 · on “Nuclear physicist explains why fusion ignition is hailed as a major breakthrough”

I'm far more excited by the innovative Helion fusion design, which unlike the NIF is intended for commercial use, and is in an advanced stage of development. NIF seems more like a way to conduct military related nuclear physiscs research rather than intended/suitable to ever be used for power generation. [this video] Helion seems far more practical than the Tomahawk designs such as ITER, which seem they'll be too expensive to compete with solar/wind.

Recommends mpwoz · 2023-01 · on “Cargo airships could be big”

There's a fusion startup called Helion near Seattle working on this, it'll be really exciting if it pans out at scale. This video was a fascinating watch: [this video]

Recommends PuffinBlue · 2023-08 · on “Electronic Structure of LK-99”

Regarding fusion - have you seen Helion’s approach? [0] It seems their approach removes many of the issues with Tokamak or Laser Pulsed fusion. It also reduces most of the feedstock issues with the two part fuel breeding approach. Their approach seems easier to be optimistic about. [0] [this video]

Cites zmgsabst · 2022-12 · on “Why fusion will never happen”

Helion and similar methods side-step the issue by using (mostly) aneutronic fusion. [this video] [LINK] Also, discussing solar and wind without discussing the base load/storage problem skews the discussion towards solar/wind. Steam plants don’t face those challenges in the way those two do; storage is as much a challenge for solar as steam is for nuclear.

Cites hinkley · 2022-12 · on “Nuclear physicist explains why fusion ignition is hailed as a major breakthrough”

Too late to edit, but my source on the 2 months comment comes from an interview with Helion, who I think made the front page a couple of weeks ago, but in summary they are trying to smash two plasma balls together and then directly capture the magnetic flux created by the resulting fusion, rather than using a heat engine: [this video] They talk about why ITER has no viable fuel source, and about how they (Helion) are going to have to run two configurations of fusion plants in order to source their own fuel. One that produces a 10% power surplus, undesirable neutrons and the fuel for their power plants. They didn’t say anything but I suspect they’ll end up coming up with a use for the neutrons, pe

Cites westurner · 2023-01 · on “When Will Fusion Energy Light Our Homes?”

Watched the Helion Learn Engineering video, too: [this video] Has that net-positive finding been reproduced yet in any other Tokamoks? How does this compare to Helion's (non-Tokamok, non-Stellerator fusion plasma confinement reactor) published stats for the Trenta and Polaris products? Could SYLOS or other CPA Chirped Pulse Amplification lasers be useful for this problem with or without the high heat of a preexisting plasma reaction to laser pulse next to? [LINK]