It is an invention that can fundamentally and forever change mankind's civilization. Compact nuclear fusion reactor, which created the "Skunk Works" - a secret experimental company Lockheed Martin unit. This reactor - a jet engine size. In these nuclear power plants would be powered airplanes, spacecraft, they can supply energy to cities. "Skunk Works", declares that one of the reactor to serve 10 years.
Portal "Aviation Week" pinged "Skunk Works" Revolutionary Technology Division Dr manual. Coach with Thomas.
That the reactor is an innovative and revolutionary, illustrated by its design: instead of the cumbersome Soviet, high energy consuming and low energy yield generating "Tokamak" (Russian. - Тoроидальная Кaмера с Мaгнитными Катушками, a donut-shaped magnetic field generating device for plasma detention) "Skunk Works" has created much more compact and more efficient reactor. For comparison - the two figures below.
The main difference - "Skunk Works" full nuclear reactor system caters to the ring structure, which enables one to bypass the major classical fusion reactor drawbacks - they include very little plasma, although the size was unwieldy.
"The traditional Tokamak type plasma reactor quantity threshold called beta limit" - the old plasma reactor rate was only about 5 per cent., - Explains Th. Coach with. - Our new reactor efficiency of up to 100 per cent., Or even more. "
Old Tokamak-type structure:
The new "Skunk Works" type design:
The new reactor design will be 10 times smaller, but the output would be about 500 megawatts. This means that nuclear fusion energy produced can be used not only as a gigantic industrial or technical objects, but also a wide range of spheres of everyday life.
"Skunk Works" has no doubt that the reactors (and they are - no larger than the jet engine) will provide all the energy - from spacecraft to aircraft, ships. Of course, as an energy source to be able to use a much larger objects.
"This is - one of the main reasons why we believe that this technology is worth to develop, improve and design the future economy - said the head of the laboratory. - The main thing is that the new reactors - ten times lower., However, it still works. Believe that we, as we managed a very stable configuration. our case, everything is based on a continuous equilibrium balance. "
Prospects
Is there really such a reactor could become a revolutionary? In particular, Lockheed Martin is not some amateur-enthusiast, having the ability to implement their ideas only in the garage. This is - one of the largest and most solid experience in the aerospace and defense industry companies in the world. Project leader Th. Coach with fully aware of it - just the beginning, however, no doubt that the design - the right and perfecting the reactor to the mass production and use would require about a decade.
"We would like to develop a prototype of the final five generations - reveals Th. Coach with. - If we manage to implement a plan to create a new generation of copies every year, we could be possible for five years. Laboratory, we have already proved that we can do it. Yet it does not work at full capacity, it is - sort of operating reactor concept, illustrating that the decision - is implemented and effective. "
Thus, the authors hope to have five years of fully functional model of the reactor and start the mass production. One generator is able to produce 100 megawatts of energy - enough so huge cargo ship or a city with 80 thousand. buildings. The reactor dimensions are 7 and 12.5 meters. You could say, the standard length of tractor-trailers, only slightly wider.
