There are many interesting developments in fusion reactors, but this project almost certainly is not the one. If I could bet on betting markets, this CFR reactor project is the least likely to succeed.
People involved know enough about plasma physics to get in
trouble and run plasma simulations, but they don't know not enough particle physics to solve the problems or see the problems until they start building one.
why work on minimizing the fusion reactor, when fusion reactors don't even work to begin with ("work" meaning "produce more energy than they consume for an indefinite amount of time").
Just nail fusion reactors and bam - energy too cheap to meter. We already have a distribution network, who cares if they're large?
> Just nail fusion reactors and bam - energy too cheap to meter.
Fusion reactors like ITER are still hugely expensive to build, so I don't think it'll quite be "bam" or "too cheap to meter". Builders of tokamak reactors will be looking for good ROI, so energy will only be marginally cheaper than it is now, but with a much wider profit margin.
I think we might just barely be able to build a piston engine large enough to make use of that. It would have cylinders capable of swallowing container ships whole. You'd want at least 4 cylinders of course, maybe more. It'd be something like a trillion-liter engine. The emissions control device and the muffler would likewise be huge. The fuel injectors would need to toss the thermonuclear bombs clear of the piston and valves and cylinder walls, ensuring some distance between the fireball and anything that could be damaged.
So yeah, there might be downsides, but I think this is actually a valid design for a fusion reactor. We really could do this.
People involved know enough about plasma physics to get in trouble and run plasma simulations, but they don't know not enough particle physics to solve the problems or see the problems until they start building one.
Edit: this news is from 2014.