Fusion back to the steam age?

[nytecam]

I was disappointed to read in current New Scientist #2859 page 22 that the much vaulted fusion reactor will use 'highly energetic neutrons' bombarding the reactor walls to create, in the surrounding enclosure, 'steam to drive turbines'

Is this really the best the 21st century can offer? I only want electrons to flow down a wire to power my house without steam in the equation

[garethmob]

That's the same as current neuclear. Gas. Oil. Coal. Have we really got no other ideas how to do it?

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[Capricorn]

Except for hydro electric I think they all use steam to drive the turbines.

Those big cooling towers that are part of a generating plant are to condense the steam back into water.

[Grunthos]

I only want electrons to flow down a wire to power my house without steam in the equation

Two questions (with my physics and engineering hats both on:)).

1) Why?

2) How else might you efficiently do it?

[kenmyers]

I had a great idea. Looking at it afterwards... not so great.

[ollypenrice]

Quantum steampunk! Love it.

Olly

[sologuitarist61]

It does seem strange that we can find all different sorts of ways to create the energy yet still have to resort to water/steam to do the work. I understand the point that steam works why look for something else, but it does seem surprising that no one has come up with a direct power to electricity system that by-passes the use steam.

[JB80]

I was going to create a thread about Fusion in the coming days, admittedly not quite the same as the issue raised in this thread.

I still might unless the mods feel there is no need for another thread on the matter.

[Grunthos]

I was going to create a thread about Fusion in the coming days

Sounds interesting.

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[JBadger]

It does seem strange that we can find all different sorts of ways to create the energy yet still have to resort to water/steam to do the work. I understand the point that steam works why look for something else, but it does seem surprising that no one has come up with a direct power to electricity system that by-passes the use steam.

Different methods of creating HEAT, that's the key point. Burning, Fissioning, Fusing all makes heat, so how do you creat electricity from heat? So far, nobody has found a better method than the steam turbine.

[Steve 1962]

does seem surprising that no one has come up with a direct power to electricity system that by-passes the use steam

..that's because, in order to generate alternating current at 50Hz you need to move the electrical conductors relative to a magnetic field (or move the magnetic field relative to the conductors) at 3000rpm....and the best way to do that is with a rotating machine (an alternator) ...and the best way to rotate an alternator at a fixed speed on an "industrial" scale at the moment is with a stream turbine.

The poluting part of electricity generation is not the steam part - it's the initial heat production process , and we need to get rid of the need to burn fossil fuels to produce this heat.

I'd much rather science focussed on getting fusion working to produce more energy that we have to put in - for long periods - as a priority - before replacing tried, tested and very reliable steam technology.

[sologuitarist61]

I know why we still use steam - my point was that it is surprising that we have not found an alternative technology to do the job instead. In all other things we have moved into the 21st century but still rely on Victorian methods to produce elctrical power

[Steve 1962]

my point was that it is surprising that we have not found an alternative technology

We have - we can produce electricity from the wind, chemical energy, water, sunlight, geothermal heat etc....but none of these are as good at the moment as steam on the sort of scale that we need for a reliable, stable power supply.

I believe that they are hoping, maybe, one day, to crack direct production of a flow of electrons from a fusion / fission process (would a reverse flow of protons work as well, I wonder?), but my point was that they need to crack the "basic" fusion process first.

[sologuitarist61]

We have - we can produce electricity from the wind, chemical energy, water, sunlight, geothermal heat etc....but none of these are as good at the moment as steam on the sort of scale that we need for a reliable, stable power supply.

I believe that they are hoping, maybe, one day, to crack direct production of a flow of electrons from a fusion / fission process (would a reverse flow of protons work as well, I wonder?), but my point was that they need to crack the "basic" fusion process first.

My point exactly