Fusion Energy Breakthroughs

[@weird_0432]

When we needed him most, he returned

[@Illiteratechimp]

Hes not the prof we want Hes the prof we deserve Edit: I messed up the batman quote anyway...

[@cipaisone]

@@IlliteratechimpI actually want him as a prof :)

[@foley2k2]

Go heavy on the math. To understand magnetic fields you will need calculus - it doesn't go to arbitrary 3d volumes until the 3rd course. Extra dimensions beyond that could be temperature, time, and field strength. You will also need to pair that with statistics. Material science may be interesting too.

[@kayakMike1000]

​@@foley2k2meh, those are just partial differential equations. Don't scare 'em too much, differential just means something changes while another thing changes.

[@kayakMike1000]

I think I will make a company that makes high field YBCO tapes. Or custom magnet rigs.

[@blip1]

This is like a long awaited movie release, every time I see the notification on my phone.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

Thank you! I always hope to make more of them than I do. It is great to hear that they are appreciated.

[@raoulmassing4474]

Hello professor this is a great video. I am an electrical engineer in the nuclear industry. I was always wondering about the direct use of lithium 6 deuteride as a nuclear fuel in a reactor ( using the jetter's cycle + the post cycle) when it's bombarded with neutron .Is it possible that type of reactor could work?

[@lukedowneslukedownes5900]

Missed you professor. Been following you for years now. I’m year three in my nuclear engineering field thanks to you

[@christianlibertarian5488]

Still the best science guy on the internet.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

Thank you!

[@oneofspades]

@@illinoisenergyprof6878 Great channel. Knowledge in the field is unquestioned but your presentation is excellent. "pauca sed matura"

[@callanbrown8571]

Agree

[@Keiranful]

@@illinoisenergyprof6878 Can you please give us your perspective of what the Max-Planck-Institute for Plasmaphysics achieved with their Wendelstein 7-X Stellerator? I heard in early February, that they achieved fusion over 45 minutes, where the entire reactor was in a steady state. I would like to see a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of the Tokamak type and Stellerator type reactors from your perspective, because I haven't seen something like that before.

[@kayakMike1000]

​@@illinoisenergyprof6878 definite high caliber. You and Dr. O'dowd from Space Time should do a collaboration.

[@BluesManPeich]

I'll never get tired of watching and rewatching the intro, especially the last explosion.

[@Thurman321]

The public owes you a double thanks, both for your Sterling work in pure scientific research and in its communication to us, thank you sir thank you so much

[@rockpadstudios]

I love this stuff

[@transkryption]

wouldn't Stirling work in research be 92.5% pure scientific research? Obscure perhaps... I'm just trying to spread a little joy & obscure humour.

[@Fren69420]

Praise be to The Great Science!!! 🙏

[@johngeverett]

This guy presents with clarity, making the technology and math understandable to normal folks.

[@themidnightbandwidth]

CAN WE ALL AGREE ILLINOIS ENERGYPROF HAS A BANGER OF AN INTRO?!

[@dvanerdivkanade]

God bless you sir, good to have you back on KZbin.

[@EEVblog]

Nice work. It was kinda disappointing to have to explain to people who saw this big announcement (more energy out than in) that the actual total energy input was almost two orders of magnitude greater than what they got out.

[@johnjay6370]

Yea, but it was still a huge breakthrough! They know the lasers and setup, is what I like call, proof of concept. It was to show that a controlled reaction with net gain is possible. Everything used to make this happen was not designed to be efficient, it was designed to work, be upgradable, testable, and configurable. I agree with your point that we still are not there YET! I put this in the category of the first fission reactor concept for a controlled reaction in the 1942 during ww2 and the Manhattan Project.

[@gianni_schicchi]

It’s write there in the summary too 😂 I had people telling me I don’t get physics and was being obstinate. This was obviously a PR announcement right when gas was going through the roof.

[@synth1002]

@@johnjay6370 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpSxY5eQba97Y80

[@sirtra]

OMG Dave also watches the professor! Love and learn a lot from you both... pls don't ever change! 🤗

[@jamesraymond1158]

Excellent summary. News accounts of the Natl Ignition facility were so obviously misleading. It was good to hear you clear it up. I would have mentioned that the laser lab was not built for fusion energy. Fusion was just an after thought. I would also have liked to hear your thoughts on Helion which seems to promise more than it can deliver. Also, please let us know if you have any stake in the companies you advise for.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

No ownership stakes in any fusion companies. When I do mention a company that I have even a small financial interest in -- like the graphene company Lyten -- I also mention my involvement. Several fusion companies do fund my research of course, but I also mention that. I agree with you about NIF's purpose.

[@antonnym214]

Thank you! I like the liquid metal idea! This gives me hope of having commercial fusion before I'm 80 and running for president. All good wishes!

[@DrabTechno998]

I've Always enjoyed your lectures Professor. You have a true gift to take nominally complex energy topics and present them in a way that a wider audience can understand and be inspired by. Thank you for taking the time to share this gift with all of us.

[@chipworrell6025]

about darn time you showed back up....

[@srivera18]

Please come back, sir. Your videos are inspiring and so simply explained

[@TheRepublicOfUngeria]

1:07: Minor correction: the core of The Sun reaches the highest densities possible in The Solar System, but there's so much heat pushing apart the outer layers that the outer layers of The Sun have densities lower than even our atmosphere. This means that in spite of containing the most density inducing conditions possible in The Solar System in its core, that dense core is such a small fraction of the volume of space that we call The Sun that the extremely non-dense outer layers bring the average density of the entire object down enough to make it the least dense singular object in the solar system.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

Where the fusion happens is where the density is so high -- that is what I was trying to get at.

[@HandFromCoffin]

Yes but you're totally missing the point that of course the highest density is at the center where.. wait for it.. the fusion happens, ie the topic of this video.

[@JoeTaber]

This is better framed as a neat factoid or additional detail rather than a "correction". Thanks for sharing!

[@szaszm_]

@@HandFromCoffin His point is that this wasn't stated in the video. He's "missing the point", because the point wasn't said. Most of the viewers probably don't care, so it's not a strictly relevant detail, but it doesn't take more than 2 extra words to clarify this.

[@FireStormOOO_]

I also paused a moment here figuring out what was meant. Plasma density in the core of the sun is much more impressive than the plasmas we can confine steady-state at human scale. Could've been clearer, but doesn't undermine the presentation too much.

[@forensix78]

The only channel I subscribe to with notifications enabled. Thank you, Prof. Ruzic!

[@zatch01]

Always excited when I see a new video posted from this channel. Keep up the amazing work.

[@sevbait]

We missed you professor.

[@C0n7ax]

Thank you for your wonderful, informative content sir. Your nuclear power videos tend to be the basis of my pro-nuclear proselytizing efforts (to much lesser effect than yours). I still think we should be pressuring political leadership to fund large scale modular nuclear reactors of the kind you have described until fusion technology becomes commercially viable. However, the idea of scaling down the tokamaks and utilizing liquid metal poles to absorb the plasma flux is genius in it's "simplicity". Good luck and thank you for making this accessible to the general public.

[@tomhekker]

I love the way you explain things. If I had you as my professor I most likely didn’t drop out. Here in Europe, we mostly get professors lecturing about all the science, without showing any enthusiasm at all.

[@christinadehmel1156]

Thanks Dr. Ruzik, great presentation for the layperson, as usual. You're making future generations want to become scientists.

[@ELMS]

Great to see you. Yes, it only produced a million joules, but the first flight of the Wright Brothers was 120 feet. (36.5m)

[@A_Senitent_Ford_F150]

This looks like its from 2003 and would be shown in school, but the fact it's 2023 and is very new is a weird thing indeed. Super interesting and very informative

[@rajeshganesan19]

Many including me are super proud that we know Prof. Ruzic. His service to science is invaluable.

[@birdgamerman]

you know, your voice is really calming and pleasent to listen to. Sometimes i wonder what my life would have been if i pursued an education in Physics or Chemistry. That was my 2nd choice right after Electrical engineering!

[@kraigstull7356]

Great sailing with you Professor! Glad we focused on sailing, as this energy subject has much depth!

[@ghaznavid]

One of the best professors I've encountered.

[@mattchadbourne7034]

Glad to see a new video from you, Prof. Ruzic! I always love sending your videos on fission reactors to people in the anti-nuclear crowd who say nuclear power is unsafe and should be banned. Now I have something to send to those who argue nuclear fusion is a pipe dream and will never work in reality. You're one of the best I've seen at explaining these topics in a way that's both interesting and clear for anyone to understand. Keep up the great work!

[@ronblack7870]

when i was in grade 6 i did a school project about how fusion is around the corner . so now i am 62 years old and fusion is still around the corner. so that was 50 years ago.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

me too. Of course I've spent my whole professional life working on it, and am more encouraged now than I have been for the last 30 years.....

[@garymartin9777]

Great to see you back in front of the camera, doctor. I miss your very educational videos.

[@aussietaipan8700]

This is the first one I've seen for ages, glad you are still making these vids.

[@Geenimetsuri]

Another great and clearly explained topic! You manage to convey complex topics in a simple and easy to understand way.

[@randyhavener1851]

I have been waiting for you to do this video for the past 6 months!!! People would look at me in disbelief when I would mention the true energy consumption associated with achieving that reaction. David, thank you so much!!! Looking forward to hearing from you again.

[@philsturm4685]

I had a chance to talk with one of your students while they were interning at a company I worked for over a summer. I was thrilled to meet someone actually helping with this wall project. I watched your videos and read about it and then I'm talking to a college kid who worked with you on it. Very neat.

[@liddell157]

wish you would start making videos again.

[@rayoflight62]

What a pleasure to see you again Professor Ruzic! Loved your explanation of the ignition process. If you can - and it doesn't detract from your busy schedule - I would be happy as the size of the world to watch more of your video - Science, Power Generation, Cosmology, Society - and what else in your in-deep knowledge. As an example, there are many scientific and technical aspects of the tool and equipment utilised for the war, that would be nice to know the viewpoint of a Scientist on them. Thank you for this update on the fusion breakthrough at the INF...

[@lawtonsegler1923]

Always an unbiased trustworthy presentation of the facts.

[@KR-ne1eb]

Thank you for sharing your experience and education and knowledge with people like myself who you don't even know !

[@bobsmoot8454]

I love your presentations on fission and now fusion energy, I wish you’d been a professor at my school back in the 70s

[@typicalaimster]

I love these videos! Probably learn more in 17 minutes than 4 years in college!

[@joshuaevans4301]

"Of course you need a loving glance to make anything work" Fantastic

[@zeribajr]

...and THAT'S why I love this channel! Would you make a complementary video on aneutronic fusion, such as those proposed by LPP fusion and HB11 Energy?

[@Kaus5221]

We need more!

[@icedoutreal]

I’ve watched all his vids, bad ass professor. Keep it the awesome work

[@Nolsie]

This man makes me want to go back to university

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

We are always excepting students!

[@NathanDudani]

​@@illinoisenergyprof6878*accepting

[@shaunbrennan5281]

@@NathanDudani oof

[@gkhaled1]

He’s not a English professor lol

[@comment8767]

@@NathanDudani I went there, and I got excepted.

[@yamilabugattas3895]

I love your videos, it would be great to see them more often!

[@UpInThePocket8611]

Just found the channel.. wish I had a teacher like you.

[@PCr4zy]

great job, I was looking for the 2/3/200e06 numbers for a long LONG time.

[@gypsycatcher18]

since fusion is still years away, could you talk about any real world projects for next-gen fission reactors? are any countries actively pursuing this on a significant scale?

[@adamdymke8004]

He has a number of videos on next-gen fission reactors. If you want designs that are actively been pursued I recommend: Natrium reactors- kzbin.info/www/bejne/amjNgWePodaDkJY SMR- kzbin.info/www/bejne/iorRon1qi9OFg5o Micro Reactors- kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZjXoJqVnLSUfbM

[@chapter4travels]

Yes, there are many. Next-gen fission will provide every advantage that fusion promises for some distant future. Terra power, Terrestrial Energy, Moltex Power, ThorCon power, Seaborg Industries, Exodys Energy, Copenhagen Atomics to name just a few.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

@@adamdymke8004 Thank you!

[@Gnefitisis]

Will never miss your lectures, Professor.

[@David-ck4ep]

Never? 😥

[@seemenow8204]

Watching from Texas. I love your videos!

[@gummywurms226]

I would love to see a video comparing a Stellarator to a Tokamak.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

great idea -- other magnetic systems too. I think you have a great idea and I will work on it.

[@happyhome41]

Good to have you back. I hope you and I live long enough to see this through (that it happens soon enough).

[@gottspeed]

Great presentation

[@ArthurTugwell]

The king has returned!

[@zimfar]

We miss you Professor Ruzic! I'm interested to hear your thoughts on reactivating legacy US reactors, especially for datacenters and AI. Also interested to hear your thoughts on the different designs and proposals for SMRs and non-tokamak fusion reactors. Hope to see you again soon! Thanks!

[@vicbrava2410]

Love the videos Prof. Ruzic!

[@ianhampton6856]

Excellent informative and enjoyable. What about ITER?

[@Farmer-bh3cg]

Glad the IEP is back1 Thank you for a simple explanation of fusion energy.

[@DrDotarSojat]

great to see you back!

[@bobthebomb1596]

Welcome back Prof.

[@thanksfernuthin]

Very exciting. Unfortunately, the "we're almost there" storyline has been abused my whole life. You're the first person I actually trust due to your videos on many subjects being truth based as far as I can see. If the carbon hysteria ends up finally delivering this civilization/humanity changing technology then it at least achieved that. [edit: You're not done making videos by the way. I believe you've stated neutrinos are the most dangerous element of the fusion process. Does this manage them better? And how do you actually utilize flowing lithium? (without giving up trade secrets) Does the flowing lithium remove the heat from the mechanism? And is that where most of the energy is produced? Keep up the great work!]

[@AntPDC]

US exceptionalism is strong with this one. He barely acknowledges major European advances in fusion, and in the rare case that he does, claims they are "US-funded".

[@norfintorkjoe8925]

Thanks for highlighting this important area of research! I hope we see net gain before 2030!

[@bartsanders1553]

About a half hour before this dropped, I was talking to my friends about fusion energy and how it's been 30 years away for 40-50 years. I was very glad to see an update with good news.

[@gkhaled1]

I always learn something watching these videos. I need to find an excuse to take one of his classes. I’d love to see a new series where he reacts to movies 😅

[@morganspencer-churchill2136]

Professor Ruzic, do you know Bill Hammack, better known on KZbin as "The Engineer Guy"? He is a professor of Chemical Engineering at UIUC.

[@r3dp9]

I appreciate showing the personal bias up front. Even as a kid I noticed that sources claiming to be unbiased were merely blind to their bias, which usually led to having far more bias.

[@Keiranful]

Can you please give us your perspective of what the Max-Planck-Institute for Plasmaphysics achieved with their Wendelstein 7-X Stellerator? I heard in early February, that they achieved fusion over 45 minutes, where the entire reactor was in a steady state. I would like to see a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of the Tokamak type and Stellerator type reactors from your perspective, because I haven't seen something like that before.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

Sure. W7-X made a confined plasma for over 45 minutes. We do that on our stellarator, HIDRA for even longer, but their is much much hotter. That was a remarkable achievement. However, their plasma did not make fusion energy, but it does show the advantage of a stellarator. A video on comparing different magnetic confinement systems is a great idea.

[@Keiranful]

@@illinoisenergyprof6878 thanks for the response. I knew it wasn't net positive, as they themselves say it's too small for that. Kind of like JET and ITER in that regard as far as I understand it. Btw, could you also add that system, where they shoot the plasma toroids at each other and have direct EM coupling into the spools? Forgot what it's called, but I got conflicting information on its feasibility.

[@Nudnik1]

I saw that also.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

@@Keiranful That is a fascinating system, and I think there is a commercial outfit who is trying that. The hard part is not letting them flop over before they combine. Cool idea though!

[@Keiranful]

@@illinoisenergyprof6878 I just remembered the name of the company, Helion Energy, though I can't find the name for their reactor type, just a description.

[@geirha75]

Dear Prof. Ruzic, thanks for fascinating information on fusion. It would be appreciated if you could explain void coefficient once.

[@nycameleon]

Great episode! How about one about the new Chinese Thorium Reactor

[@mrz3r012]

Thank you so much for this and all your other videos!

[@vagellan_8842]

Yay! 🎉 Your videos are always fascinating! If YT really cares about FORCING all of us plebeians to stop competing with the Billionaires for Earth's recources, they really need to put your videos in front of more people! PLEASE!

[@PrayedForYou]

Best of humanity right here.

[@jcr723]

Hope you can do more videos on this topic and more. Great video

[@radboogie]

Great to see you back Prof! 👍

[@UnleashthePhury]

This is an incredible scientific breakthrough. Much to learn, we still have. PS - Dr Ruzic, would you consider doing a video about antimatter?

[@tyrport]

Ghostbusters Bill Murray - “ I’ve been in the private sector. They actually expect results. “ Paraphrase

[@420sakura1]

Ask people working in the Government sector. They don't work ammu less than the people working in private. The only difference is that they are not pressured or forced into a crunch m

[@Bialy_1]

@@420sakura1 In government sector they trying to make the impresion that they work hard... and that is very easy to achive. In private sector they want you to work smart not hard...

[@gapho5198]

He's back!

[@tomschmidt381]

Thanks for the technical update on the state of fusion research. I hope practical fusion pans out but for most of my life it always seems to be a decade or two in the future. Hopefully your work will prove me wrong. As others have posted I'm glad you mentioned the gross energy needed for the NIF experiment. I agree it was a fantastic scientific achievement, but probably not a route to practical fusion electrical power generation.

[@GrundleStiltSkin]

was waiting for this episode topic!!! nice!

[@tino_S]

I remember reading something about tokamak in the Tom Duncan physics book seemed awesome and still is

[@alonzomuncy6871]

Love your Videos! I have a question as I'm unclear on how exactly we get the energy out of the reactor. Do we use the extra heat through the molten metal to run a steam turbine? Thanks for all you do!

[@ronblack7870]

yes it will be a big fire that heats water to steam.

[@johnjay6370]

Awesome explanation!!!! We are hitting a technology singularity. Fusion energy, Quantum Computers, and AI, are all at a similar point in development. They are are showing great potential and are all in full R&D development by private companies! Those three technologies will be part of the backbone of our technology explosion for the next 50 years or more... My .02c

[@Ray_of_Light62]

Dear Energy Prof, Could you do a video on solid-state batteries? Thanks Anthony

[@szaszm_]

13:40 How does "everything go bad" at the square of the walls' atomic number? What kind of loss is happening there?

[@jje984]

Thank you for the update!

[@mcintoshdev]

What do you think about Helion Energy's goal to produce electricity from the magnetic field generated by the fusion in their 7th gen fusion generator? Tokamak uses a Uranium blanket to generate heat which means there is still waste.

[@johnmagruder6292]

Please keep putting videos out!

[@jimrobcoyle]

How many joules were used in the manufacturing of the single pellet that was ignited?

[@tannerhillworkshopzoomreco3266]

The LSTNuclear Fusion Reactor is the way to go. It improves on the projectile fusion technology from First Light Fusion with better collision arrangement and much higher rail gun speed. The apparatus is put inside a non-destructed container containing water and air. The water is turned into pressured steam to drive turbines.

[@MasthaX]

It's been a while since the last video but as always great and insightful content. Commercial fusion by 2038 sounds great, let's hope we do!

[@morkovija]

I remember posting about your liquid metal ideas under all those fusion breakthrough vids, I wonder if any of them paid attention to some random KZbin comment :)

[@shazzz_land]

Much appreciation professor, could you do a video in the future about betavoltaic cells if possible?

[@mungkey]

Me just sitting down chillin , fueled by unlimited amounts of coffee and just watching Professor David Ruzic's videos

[@billrich9722]

I probably missed this talk but how do you harvest energy from a stable fusion reaction?

[@icojb25]

Great video, concise but includes all the salient points. Great primer for non-nuclear engineers

[@comment8767]

Suppose electricity at the generating plant dropped to a price of zero dollars per kilowatt-hour. How much would the retail price go down?

[@widnyj5561]

Is the problem with neutron flux degrading the blankets and magnets solved? As for a complete outsider this feels like a major obstacle that is not discussed that much.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

This is a real problem. The new high field magnets are in the form of flexible tapes. This is another huge advantage. One can "un-hook" the tapes and open up the magnets to replace the components that have been damaged by the neutron flux. To protect the magnets you put the breeding shield material between them and the plasma.