Fusion energy gain factor - Wikipedia - Recent changes [en]

The final definition of breakeven is '''commercial breakeven''', which occurs when the economic value of any net electricity left over after recirculation is enough to pay for the reactor and all processes to gather and transport [[reactants]], such as [[tritium]] and [[deuterium]], to the reactor.<ref name=dict/> This value depends both on the reactor's [[capital cost]] and any financing costs related to that, its [[operating cost]]s including fuel and maintenance, and the [[spot price]] of electrical power.<ref name=dict/><ref>{{cite web |title=Glossary |website=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |url=https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/glossary}}</ref>

The final definition of breakeven is '''commercial breakeven''', which occurs when the economic value of any net electricity left over after recirculation is enough to pay for the reactor and all processes to gather and transport [[reactants]], such as [[tritium]] and [[deuterium]], to the reactor.<ref name=dict/> This value depends both on the reactor's [[capital cost]] and any financing costs related to that, its [[operating cost]]s including fuel and maintenance, and the [[spot price]] of electrical power.<ref name=dict/><ref>{{cite web |title=Glossary |website=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |url=https://lasers.llnl.gov/education/glossary}}</ref>

Commercial breakeven relies on factors outside the technology of the reactor itself, and it is possible that even a reactor with a fully ignited plasma operating well beyond engineering breakeven will not generate enough electricity rapidly enough to pay for itself. <ref>{{cite journal |title=1.6 Break-Even Analysis |website=pressbooks NSCC |date=18 December 2023 |url=https://pressbooks.nscc.ca/businessmath2500/chapter/1-6/ |last1=Davey |first1=André |last2=Fiedler |first2=Ute |last3=Milner |first3=Suzanne |last4=Rudderham |first4=Paul |last5=Saleh |first5=Manal |last6=Olivier |first6=Jean-Paul }}</ref> Whether any of the mainline concepts like [[ITER]] can reach this goal is being debated in the field. A large reason for these debates is the current lack of technology and the lack of interest and funding in the area in its current stage.<ref> {{cite journal |title=Progress toward Fusion Energy Breakeven and Gain as Measured against the Lawson Criterion |journal = Physics of Plasmas |date = 2022 |doi = 10.1063/5.0083990 |url = https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pop/article/29/6/062103/2847827/Progress-toward-fusion-energy-breakeven-and-gain |last1 = Wurzel |first1 = Samuel E. |last2 = Hsu |first2 = Scott C. |volume = 29 |issue = 6 |arxiv = 2105.10954 |bibcode = 2022PhPl...29f2103W }}</ref> Scientists have only just reached the point in the fusion process where they are having a positive energy gain, meaning the energy produced is marginally more than the energy required to initiate the fusion process, this ratio is called the Q-Factor.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Power Gain Factor Q of an Ideal Magneto-Electrostatic Fusion Reactor |journal=Nuclear Fusion |date=1980 |doi=10.1088/0029-5515/20/1/001 |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0029-5515/20/1/001 |last1=Yushmanov |first1=E.E. |volume=20 |pages=3–8 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Scientists and Nuclear physicists are sure that there is a maximum amount of energy that can be harnessed and gained from fusion reactions but the maximum amount is currently unknown.<ref>{{cite journal |title=FEASIBILITY of POWER by NUCLEAR FUSION |website = FEASIBILITY OF POWER BY NUCLEAR FUSION OSTI.gov |date = 1968 |doi = 10.2172/4513744 |osti = 4513744 |url= https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4513744 |last1 = Rose |first1 = D. J. }}</ref> With enough investment, it is possible to increase the Q-Factor and create a definite increase in the energy and profits but that doesn’t mean that it is enough to reach the commercial breakeven. It is very possible that the Q-Factor will never overcome the commercial break even point. <ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://issues.org/31-4/fusion-research-time-to-set-a-new-path/ |title=Fusion Research: Time to Set a New Path |first=Robert |last=Hirsch |date=Summer 2015 |magazine=Issues in Technology |volume=31 |issue=4}}</ref>

Commercial breakeven relies on factors outside the technology of the reactor itself, and it is possible that even a reactor with a fully ignited plasma operating well beyond engineering breakeven will not generate enough electricity rapidly enough to pay for itself. <ref>{{cite journal |title=1.6 Break-Even Analysis |website=pressbooks NSCC |date=18 December 2023 |url=https://pressbooks.nscc.ca/businessmath2500/chapter/1-6/ |last1=Davey |first1=André |last2=Fiedler |first2=Ute |last3=Milner |first3=Suzanne |last4=Rudderham |first4=Paul |last5=Saleh |first5=Manal |last6=Olivier |first6=Jean-Paul }}</ref> Whether any of the mainline concepts like [[ITER]] can reach this goal is being debated in the field. A large reason for these debates is the current lack of technology and the lack of interest and funding in the area in its current stage.<ref> {{cite journal |title=Progress toward Fusion Energy Breakeven and Gain as Measured against the Lawson Criterion |journal = Physics of Plasmas |date = 2022 |doi = 10.1063/5.0083990 |url = https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pop/article/29/6/062103/2847827/Progress-toward-fusion-energy-breakeven-and-gain |last1 = Wurzel |first1 = Samuel E. |last2 = Hsu |first2 = Scott C. |volume = 29 |issue = 6 |arxiv = 2105.10954 |bibcode = 2022PhPl...29f2103W }}</ref> Scientists have only just reached the point in the fusion process where they are having a positive energy gain, meaning the energy produced is marginally more than the energy required to initiate the fusion proces.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Power Gain Factor Q of an Ideal Magneto-Electrostatic Fusion Reactor |journal=Nuclear Fusion |date=1980 |doi=10.1088/0029-5515/20/1/001 |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0029-5515/20/1/001 |last1=Yushmanov |first1=E.E. |volume=20 |pages=3–8 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Nuclear physicists are sure that there is a maximum amount of energy that can be harnessed from fusion reactions but the maximum amount is currently unknown.<ref>{{cite journal |title=FEASIBILITY of POWER by NUCLEAR FUSION |website = FEASIBILITY OF POWER BY NUCLEAR FUSION OSTI.gov |date = 1968 |doi = 10.2172/4513744 |osti = 4513744 |url= https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4513744 |last1 = Rose |first1 = D. J. }}</ref> With enough investment, it is possible to increase the Q and create a definite increase in the energy and profits but that doesn’t mean that it is enough to reach the commercial breakeven.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://issues.org/31-4/fusion-research-time-to-set-a-new-path/ |title=Fusion Research: Time to Set a New Path |first=Robert |last=Hirsch |date=Summer 2015 |magazine=Issues in Technology |volume=31 |issue=4}}</ref>

==Practical example==

==Practical example==