The linked wiki article doesnt go into the reasons why so many hybrid fission-fusion projects have been abandoned, this technology seems so promising that there must be good reasons why.
I think after Fukushima the R&D budget for nuclear fission research has gone down.
For example, the latest Department of Energy budget proposal [1] asks for $1.7 BN for civilian fission-related projects (page 58) and for $0.7 BN for fusion science (page 36). The fission budget is still higher, but fission is something concrete, the US has 100 nuclear power plants still running.
In any case, anything related to nuclear research is expensive. So, even if fusion-fission is promising, it won't get done without quite a few billion being invested in it. This is not something that can happen without government support.
Looking at the Department of Energy portfolio of projects on the fission side, I can't say I don't agree with it. They are ranging from low hanging fruit (like the SMR where NuScale already got the NRC approval) to somewhat higher risk-reward profile. Still the risk-reward profile for fusion-fission appears to be even higher. So, I don't blame them for picking their current priorities.
I could blame them for continuing to pump money in ITER, but I think that's more of an international relations project, so the money needs to go that way.
credit_guy|3 years ago
For example, the latest Department of Energy budget proposal [1] asks for $1.7 BN for civilian fission-related projects (page 58) and for $0.7 BN for fusion science (page 36). The fission budget is still higher, but fission is something concrete, the US has 100 nuclear power plants still running.
In any case, anything related to nuclear research is expensive. So, even if fusion-fission is promising, it won't get done without quite a few billion being invested in it. This is not something that can happen without government support.
Looking at the Department of Energy portfolio of projects on the fission side, I can't say I don't agree with it. They are ranging from low hanging fruit (like the SMR where NuScale already got the NRC approval) to somewhat higher risk-reward profile. Still the risk-reward profile for fusion-fission appears to be even higher. So, I don't blame them for picking their current priorities.
I could blame them for continuing to pump money in ITER, but I think that's more of an international relations project, so the money needs to go that way.
[1] https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/doe-fy202...