[feedquote='E-Cat World','http://www.e-catworld.com/2014/08/16/helion-energy-raises-1-5-million-for-fusion-reactor/']There has been some comment here and other sites about Helion Energy, a Redmond, Washington-based company which is seeking to develop an new type of nuclear fusion reactor that will be able to produce twice as much energy as is input into it. The Wall Street Journal’s Venture Capital Dispatch has published an article reporting […][/feedquote]
Helion Energy Raises $1.5 Million for Fusion Reactor
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hopefully, this is the appropriate place to post this...
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Website is here https://www.helionenergy.com
ECW was 2014. I don't see a date on that very interesting video. It has a lot of criticism of iter's fuels and neutrons. (I'm at the half-way mark).
The current (youtube) machine is V6, they show V7 under construction, and are considering separating the fuel (and neutron) stage from the electricity stage (electricity from magnetism).
Edit: video is current, long version available for $
Second half is on construction issues .. plasma is 25% larger than predicted. Capacitor banks have to fire at nanosecond precision. Thermal management is tricky.
Next generation Polaris will have direct electricity extraction. -
I just have finished watching this video..
The guy well explaining that helium and lithium have the same mother as the big bang when heavier elements ( up to iron) came from Stars "manufacturing".
Maybe seperating these 2 different processes could give clues for Lenr because they are the more usual since 1989.
Now according to this video, the most important thing to understand for reaching fusion remains the gravity. in this way, expecting some fusion reactions on earth without the capability to "drive" the gravity could be a non sense for a while ?
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1.5 million(2014) to 577 $million...2022..not bad for 8 yrs
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I think they can currently do a shot every 10 seconds (recharge, or cooling time?) and think they will get to 10/second soon.
Patent search with "helion and plasma" ... latest is Oct 22, fig on p1 is in the video.
https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/…rint/downloadPdf/11469003 -
I hold little hope for these devices as they still think the key is to smash stuff together to get fusion. Not even the stars do that.
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Maybe so.
The patent is quite readable. For some configurations they do mention a lithium blanket (as will be tested in iter). They could sell Tritium to ITER!
Edit: 2021 patent describing the overall system
https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/…rint/downloadPdf/11049620 -
Correction / clarification : They are reporting on plasma temperature and duration, but I don't think it's "ignited" yet.
They raised $500M in 2021 with $1.x billion on milestones:
Helion raises billions promising net electricity from fusion by 2024
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promising net electricity from fusion by 2024
Sam Altman says so too
"Helion has a clear path to net electricity by 2024,"
but fusion is a bit different from AirBnb,,
see you at FusionBNB 2024
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Sam Altman says so too
No idea who he is. But he's put some money where his mouth is., and plans to put in some more. (Maybe not so good for an independent commentator).
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Helion has a neat idea - but little technical evidence that what they hope will to work will work.
They claim they will (patent) breed 3He from D - and the 3He-3He reaction produces high energy p suitable for this - but note that the breeding reaction is NOT aneutronic and will need to contain high energy neutrons.
But, if it does all work, it could provide low cost small-scale fusion energy. By using aneutronic fuel (3He) and direct electricity generation they avoid many problems. One obvious one remains - given direct conversion is never 100% efficient how do they cool the thing? Cooling costs likely push up the otherwise beautiful simplicity of this - if it does work, which is still very unclear.
I'd like to rate this higher - they now have lots of money - but I note the lack of detailed tech info backing their claims...
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But he's put some money where his mouth is.
Microsoft too... with conditions
but maybe this is just a big "if"
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Thus if Helion – backed to the tune of US$577 million according to CNBC, including a very substantial US$375 million from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman – gets this Microsoft deal delivered, it could be some of the biggest energy news in our lifetime, and a very positive step toward net-zero carbon by 2050.
It could also, as some point out, represent a huge piece of leverage that Microsoft could exert over OpenAI, since Helion is Altman's biggest personal investment – a potentially scary thought in context of the potential darker side of AI.
Helion to supply Microsoft with fusion power by 2028, or pay penaltiesIn an outrageously audacious move, Washington-based fusion power startup Helion has signed the world's first fusion power supply deal, promising to deliver…newatlas.comHelion to supply Microsoft with fusion power by 2028, or pay penalties
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One can only hope...
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One can only hope...
I hope the venture capital can pay the neutrons to go away..
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