Energy experiments

First, the Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module Flight Experiment. The PRAM is to turn solar rays to microwaves, in the radio band. Radio waves can be converted to cook your chicken dinner usable power. I don't read if they're using the Aluminium or the old Gallium, but it's SSPIDR again so - I expect the former.

Meanwhile TAE Tech are on hydrogen fusion power. Yes yes, I know; I can hear the groaning from here. Plasma containment has been the El Guapo for fusion reactors elsewhere, like at Princeton, to such a degree that Princeton gave up and decided to blast that sh!t out a rocket nozzle. Not that we are complaining at THIS blog!

It seems, though, that the TAE guys are abandoning the tokamak stuff common at (say) Princeton, and doing "beam-driven field-reversed configuration" instead. They got to "long enough" with their reaction under the Obama Administration. Now they've reacted "hot enough".

On to a topic any ProjectRho reader knows summat about: TAE are using hydrogen-boron like Alex Cheung. That, I expect, because we have hydrogen and boron, and because the AEC doesn't regulate what you do with it. [UPDATE 4/18/23 Can we improve?] TAE say they can work with good ol' deuterium-tritium as well. Good luck with the neutrons.

TAE assume technologies as have matured over the last six years. That list is daunting: plasma behavior, artificial intelligence, machine learning, faster electronics, magnets, improved diagnostics, shorter latency feedback loops, materials science, vacuum technology, power electronics. They expect all these to improve over the 2020s.