China to complete artificial sun

[emad]

　 BEIJING, Jan. 23 -- 　It was learned from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) that it will have completed the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) which aims to explore infinite and clean energy resources of nuclear fusion by this March or April.

By then, Hefei will become the first institute in the world to have built an all-superconducting non-circular section nuclear fusion experiment facility, which is generally known as an artificial sun.

The energy resource crisis has begun to threaten the world, as oil, coal and other types of non-renewable energy resources will be used up in a century. Scientists recommend the extraction of deuterium from sea water and the ignition of nuclear fusion of this element in temperatures as high as 100 million degrees Celsius. In nuclear fusion, deuterium abstracted from one kilogram of sea water will be able to produce as much energy as that of 300 liters of gasoline.

Invention of a facility that can withstand the temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius and control deuterium and atomic fusion to ensure steady and continuous energy output is equal to invention of an artificial sun, which can provide infinite and clean energy like the sun, as sea water is virtually inexhaustible.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-01/23/content_4088792.htm

[mom cat]

1. I wish them well.If they manage the fusion, they will make a major change

in global warming.

[benburch]

2. If this works, expect to see China making territorial claims on the Moon.

Because that is believed to be the most nearby place to find significant quantities of the Helium-3 that is almost certainly required to make a successful power reactor go.

[emad]

3. Funnily enough, the UN Security Council has a special classified

file on ALL territorial claims to the moon and has established a protocol for dealing with any moon claims since 1967. This includes the rights to prospecting, land allocations, commercial travel-related activities as well as military and quasi-military claims.

[benburch]

4. The difference being...

None of the people in that file could go to the moon to physically take it. China soon will be able to.

[megatherium]

17. I have read the lunar helium-3 theory is not taken seriously by physicists

or at least some physicists. But I gather the fusion research community is getting confident that ITER will successfully demonstrate ignition. ITER would model a power plant that would generate its own tritium, needed for fusion. ITER is supposed to lead to DEMO in about 50 years, the first demonstration power plant. Either that or solar photovoltaics will drop in price (and increase in efficiency) to be competitive, by then. Either way, we will get our power from fusion.

[alittlelark]

5. They educated their child-citizens to the furthest degree that they

'determined' the child could go. Their country has many scientists w/ a very high level of training. They WILL succeed where we fail.

We force those of the non-wealthy class to go through scholarship/loan/job/work-study hurdles. China does not.


They make sure the brightest stay on track.


(You might know what I want to post here - but it sounds so defeatist)

[populistdriven]

6. HA HA HA AMERICA

http://festival.sundance.org/2006/watch/film.aspx?which=402&category=DOC

Mirror Here http://news.globalfreepress.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-3361
"How war on fear going? Maybe bomb anxiety first. Work way up to fear."

[alittlelark]

7. But.... it's NOT funny

Really, it's not.

[Wilms]

8. Wow n/t

[On the Road]

24. Well, That's Fascinating

Obviously by a xenophobic American. (No Chinese person would ever write that way.)

It actually does look like Bush is benefitting the Chinese proliteriat more than Mao ever did. Ironic. It remains to be seen whether the US economy will collapse. The same predictions were being made about Japan twenty years ago.

[Wilms]

25. More like forty years ago, but that talk was around.

Japan Population: 130 Million
China Population: 1.3 Billion

[On the Road]

26. Wasn't Clear

In the mid- to late-80s, when the Japanese economy was at its zenith, there were widespread predictions that Japan would eclipse the US as the world's major economy. Then Japan went into a long stagnation that it's really never come out of.

So I don't think China's economic victory is inevitable by a long shot. For one thing, they have to consume more domestically to keep growing.

[Wilms]

27. "Mid- to late-80s" Now I recall.

I was referring to the late '60's as electronic products started to show up en-mass.

But you're right about the '80's. They were buying up piles of real estate in the US, too, and I think (ain't sure) that they had to divest quite a bit of it since.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Meanwhile the U.S. continues to debate whether Intelligence Design

should be taught in Science classes.

[Coexist]

10. this is what happens when scientific debate is allowed

to extend beyond "Creationism: is it Real, or are you a Godless heretic". and "Stem Cell Research: A Cry in the Petri Dish".

This, coupled with the recent "brain drain" article makes me feel like I am living in Rome just before the decline.

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_3425265

(edited to add link to article)

[Festivito]

11. How exciting for them. Wish it were US. /nt

[Fovea]

12. Ahh, the venerable Tokamak

I think that Freeman Dyson had a much better design.

The Tokamak is a disposal headache and has a too short service life to investment ratio. But I wish them well.

[Tesha]

20. Why do you say this?

> The Tokamak is a disposal headache and has a too short service life to investment ratio.

Why do you say this? Have you looked at ITER's design with
its Lithium blanket?

Tesha

[Bill McBlueState]

13. source

Do we have a source for this other than the Chinese state news service?

[Hand]

14. Three words...

DON'T SCREW UP!!!!!!!!!!

[lvx35]

15. I take these statements with a grain of salt

I've heard a few reports out of russia of big discoveries involving fusion energy that seem to just dissappear...

[buddysmellgood]

16. One day, we will finish ITER. We have a wide range of fusion experiments

underway. I hope the Chinese can discover something new, but I really doubt they are going to leapfrog.
http://www.iter.org/index.htm

[Odin2005]

18. We need fusion energy ASAP.

It would make nuclear and fossil fuel power plants obsolete.

[benburch]

19. Don't be so sure.

It remains to be seen if fusion can be reliable!

Any high energy physics device is subject to sudden and complete failure! Often due to seemingly trivial defects.

Trust me on this; I've helped keep them running.

[northzax]

21. remember, nuclear power was supposed to make fossil fuels obselete

as well. that didn't take so well. Until we succcessfully pull off long term, sustainable and financially reasonable fusion, I won't hold my breath.

[NNadir]

23. I have to say this often, but any fusion technology will depend on fission

technology.

It's the matter of tritium.

The probability of fusion making fission power obsolete is close to nil, at least in this millenium.

[Orsino]

22. ...some time before the real one burns out.

Story parses to: not yet, nor anytime soon.

[rayofreason]

28. Sustained fusion is a ways off...

...and this article by Xinhua is such posturing nonsense. Any plasma physicist would cringe.

The Chinese are nowhere near to a fusion reactor. The first magnetic confinment reactor will come out the work done by ITER.