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World's Most Powerful Electromagnet Unveiled

posted by takyon on Monday April 13 2015, @07:00AM   
from the Big-Magnet dept.

Ethanol-fueled writes:

A local affiliate of CBS reports:

General Atomics is scheduled on Friday to unveil a 1,000-ton superconducting electromagnet to be used in a 35-nation fusion energy study. According to General Atomics, the Poway-built device that's powerful enough to lift an aircraft carrier out of the water will be showcased at a news conference in Poway.

The electromagnet will be used in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor experiments in France, in which scientists will try to create a burning plasma that demonstrates the feasibility of fusion energy. Clean fusion energy has been a holy grail for researchers looking for alternatives to standard nuclear energy and carbon-based fuels. Scientists say fusion energy does not create long-term waste products or meltdown risks.

General Atomics is more well-known for their Predator and Reaper military drones. As much negativity is swirling around these parts about the military industrial complex, there could be much potential benefit from the technological progress General Atomics and others are making. What do you all think?

• very nice very nice (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2015, @07:29AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2015, @07:29AM (#169574)

  1k ton, thats very impressive, borderline awesome. No, you go stand near it while its turned on!
  makes one wonder what it does to a turned on computer, ehehe

• It's a Weapon It's a Weapon (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2015, @09:07AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2015, @09:07AM (#169600)

  This isn't part of an "experiment". It's going to be used as a weapon.

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  • Re:It's a Weapon Re:It's a Weapon (Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Monday April 13 2015, @10:05AM

    by khallow (3766) on Monday April 13 2015, @10:05AM (#169622) Journal

    Magnets exert force as the inverse of distance cubed. It's pointless as a weapon.

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    • Re:It's a Weapon Re:It's a Weapon (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2015, @12:59PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2015, @12:59PM (#169674)

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railgun [wikipedia.org]

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      • Re:It's a Weapon Re:It's a Weapon (Score: 1) by khallow on Monday April 13 2015, @01:18PM

        by khallow (3766) on Monday April 13 2015, @01:18PM (#169686) Journal

        You wouldn't use a magnet that big for a railgun. The magnet alone weighs almost ten times [wikipedia.org] as much as a battleship main turret.

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        • Re:It's a Weapon (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday April 13 2015, @04:18PM

          by Freeman (732) on Monday April 13 2015, @04:18PM (#169790) Journal

          What else are we going to use to defend ourselves against Space Invaders? Independence Day seems to have proved that Nukes just won't do.

          --
          Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"

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        • Re:It's a Weapon (Score: 2) by fnj on Monday April 13 2015, @07:56PM

          by fnj (1654) on Monday April 13 2015, @07:56PM (#169943)

          You wouldn't use a magnet that big for a railgun. The magnet alone weighs almost ten times [wikipedia.org] as much as a battleship main turret.

          Sorry, that's not what your citation says, and it's very far wrong. The main gun turrets on the Iowa class, the iconic WW2 battleships, each weighed 2100 tons [globalsecurity.org].

          You're right that 1000 tons is pretty far-fetched for a railgun, though. Each one of those 16-inch guns in those Iowa class turrets only weighed around 120 tons, and no weapon anywhere near as massive has put to sea in any new vessel since WW2.

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