I don't think this will happen with the Wendelstein 7-X. The reactor itself is just too small to have a positive energy yield, there is not enough volume in comparison to the surface. Even if you...
I don't think this will happen with the Wendelstein 7-X.
The reactor itself is just too small to have a positive energy yield, there is not enough volume in comparison to the surface.
Even if you ignore that, the existing design seems too complicated to just add a system to harvest energy and you can't really use the cooling systems since they have to be cold enough to maintain the superconductivity of the coils (or the water cooling of the lasers, where the heat comes mostly from your own electricity, so that doesn't work either).
This is mostly a prototype to see if the stellarator design is feasible and effective and I think it's a very nice and innovative project if you view it from that angle.
I am not a physicist though, so I may have said some wrong things.
I think you have it right. My question was more of "how long will it take them to build the next one, assuming this one is as successful as expected?".
I think you have it right. My question was more of "how long will it take them to build the next one, assuming this one is as successful as expected?".
Amazing work. I wonder how long it will take before they can turn it into an experimental power plant.
I don't think this will happen with the Wendelstein 7-X.
The reactor itself is just too small to have a positive energy yield, there is not enough volume in comparison to the surface.
Even if you ignore that, the existing design seems too complicated to just add a system to harvest energy and you can't really use the cooling systems since they have to be cold enough to maintain the superconductivity of the coils (or the water cooling of the lasers, where the heat comes mostly from your own electricity, so that doesn't work either).
This is mostly a prototype to see if the stellarator design is feasible and effective and I think it's a very nice and innovative project if you view it from that angle.
I am not a physicist though, so I may have said some wrong things.
I think you have it right. My question was more of "how long will it take them to build the next one, assuming this one is as successful as expected?".