/sci/ - Science & Math

graphene is getting really buzwordy
the semiconductor properties of it are still not fully understood, but the current consensus is that is has resistance issues, meaning a graphene cpu would run too hot

>>3945458
fucktons of it on the moon, and it's not too crazy to partition away from regolith

lots on mars as well, but a little harder to refine i think

>>3945421
a really inefficient one?
the biggest issue with space elevators is what kind of material to use, and how to deploy it, which has nothing to do with power output

>>3945355
that would be nice, but MTF will be kind of surpurfluous for a while once lftr becomes common, since the only real downsides to a fully realized thorium energy economy is that it's not portable, and it doesn't produce more than a few gigawatts of power

and the second downside isn't going to be a downside for another century at least, we just don't need that much energy

Fusion energy is a worthwhile endeavor
Thorium energy is overly complicated and not marketable

>>3944784
that's not much of an argument, sadly
thorium is incredibly common, and given our current energy consumption (which is actually not that much in a large scale sense), thorium will last us for centuries using even the most inefficient thorium extraction methods

Fusion is being treated as a very short term solution (sub 50s years), that's not really a sensible call. Mostly because fusion of any kind is horrifically complex to design and build.

magnetized target fusion looks nice though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9M__yYbsZ4#t=1h37m37s

it was fun while it lasted

>mad scientist hates libratarians with a passion
oh no, my slash fanfiction is ruined!

>>3926922
pretty much

>>3926487
we're not completely broke yet, but yes start up funds are going to be troublesome
which is why many in the thorium alliance are pushing for a very very cheap proof of concept reactor, rather than an honest to goodness lftr at first

>>3926407
actually, putting forward a thorium economy solves a lot of problems

1) rare earth mining can be profitable again, since there is demand to remove thorium instead of it being waste

2) pretty significant electrical power output for not a lot of space and moderate start up cost, we can start de-commissioning other plants

3) america can start selling the designs to other countries for big profits, as well as thorium fuel capsules and all that.

>>3926369
i know right?
proliferation concerns are kind of hilarious to entertain, due to the soaring improbability of it happening

>>3926341
depends on what you're proposing to do for that price
continue

>>3926323
indeed, this is the real security concern at power plants these days

it'd take a very skilled infiltration team a long time to depressurize and extract fuel from the reactor, and not die from it, but once they have that stuff in hand they can cause some serious damage

...

again, assuming they have all the equipment to transport the still intensely hot fuel rods. which i doubt they will, but this is post 9/11 america damnit, anything can happen at any point for any reason to be paranoid about it anyway

>>3925533
well, pebblebed is a nice thing to go for, but it's just not quite as attractive as a lftr in terms of fuel cost, safety, and dependability

>>3925207
not to be cynical but this isn't a good mind set to be in
you kind of have to work within the system for things to change. you could make a guide on how to build these things and sell them for cheap

>>3925170
this
i'm actually interested in the output torque of an engine strapped to this guy. are we talking like a baby's pinkie finger worth of power or enough to do something useful for a long period of time?

>>3925120
i'm moderately interested in this
upload a youtube video

>>3925090
good! you're doing your homework and thinking realistically
something this board needs a bit more of, to be honest

>low cost source
how much did it cost to manufacture that leaf? how much hydrogen does it produce per unit time? is there some kind of business model set up for these things?

this also depends on how long it takes until decent fuel cells are available. the ones in cars right now are pretty piss poor.

oil isn't going to vanish overnight, so stop assuming it will

>>3924832
it's rather disparaging isn't it?

well anyway, about those youtube videos, i've been considering putting some kind of contest to go with them, that if i say something inaccurate or false people can email be about it and they'll get $20 for spotting the inaccuracy

>>3923442
>not even a mention of thorium or lftr
it's possible they're not actually aware of it yet

>>3923300
actually that's an interesting question, if you melt your moderator in with your fuel salt, would it allow for a runaway scenario? i'm not entirely sure as to the dynamics of graphite and thermal neutrons
it's possible that the moderator distributed within the fuel salt actually makes the reaction stop entirely.