LPP fusion experiments getting ten times more neutrons

[DeltaV]

Is this the kind of application you are referring to?

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1258

Aye, there's the rub...

...it doesn't seem to be susceptible to wear...

No wear, no profit from repairs/parts.

[Giorgio]

Is this the kind of application you are referring to?

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1258

Nice find, that is a good example of application of the Seebeck Effect to recover some points of efficiency.

Anyhow I am not referring to a specific type of application, I am envisioning a "system" of different applications to reduce to the minimum the amount of heat to be rejected to the outside in a nuclear thermal generator.

In other words, I look forward not to the system Thermal--->Electricity maximum conversion, but to the system maximum Thermal use, even if this means to use part of the generated electricity just to reduce the thermal load at the system end.


I am still convinced that if a suitable solution is found to reduce or nearly eliminate the need of radiators, than we have removed one of the essential limits to produce power in space from a thermal source.

Of course there might be 100 reasons different from the thermal one (that I might not be aware of) which could make this impossible.

[Art Carlson]

Where's the low temperature side of the loop?

Are you guys taking this idea seriously? Well, I guess it is a slow news era. I was more worried about ground water contamination myself. Heat sink? I guess you'd need to use conductive heating into the cooler rock at the elevation of the generator. That would make it more complicated though, especially when you had to replace the turbo generator.

I take the blame. I posed to myself a gedanken experiment, "how could I use an h-bomb to generate usable energy?" It's a lot more interesting than nuking a path across Nicaragua to create a sea-level (no locks) canal. I must have read too many "atoms for peace" articles when I was a kid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Gnome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PACER_%28fusion%29
When I first heard the idea, I thought it was totally crazy. Then I heard an interesting talk. The idea is crazy, just not totally crazy.

[Axil]

The advocates of small fusion have a rude awakening ahead. Any machine that produces neutrons or could possibly produce neutrons at the hands of some perverted genius nuclear terrorist or rogue government willing to divert their entire gross national product to world domination will be subject to air tight IAEA and NRC regulation and on site policing.

No one will be spared; the size of the fusion machine won’t matter; they will all be treated the same. Yes, there will be armed guards on site and toe missiles in the parking lot.

Even aneutronic fusion machines will be closely monitored because it’s just a short step to a modification to generate neutrons. Once the fusion community gets to the takeoff point and ascends onto the radar screens of the neurotic regulator types at the NRC, its dream of an unencumbered path to energy independence and an idyllic world will be over.

The anti-nukes will turn their vile full blown onto the idealistic and naive fusion community. Like a pack of whipped puppies, hapless fusion supporters will tuck their tails between their legs and stubble Helter Skelter into the night submitting with a whimper to the will of the politicos who being paralyzed with fear shiver in the darkness of their underground bunkers.

[Skipjack]

I dont give a frack about politics. If fusion is the solution for our energy problems, then we should go that way. Let the politicians solve the terrorist and proliferation problems in a way that does not harm progress. E.g. by being diplomatic?!

[taniwha]

Diplomatic? That is so yesteryear. We must strike now! Strike before our enemies even think of becoming our enemies! bluster bluster

On a more serious note, I think that "fusion terrorists" will become a problem only if access to fusion (by countries, anyway) is denied.

[MSimon]

Axil,

I guess us hapless pussies can't count on your support then. Pity.

I guess I'll have to ask the Marines.

[Axil]

Axil,

I guess us hapless pussies can't count on your support then. Pity.

I guess I'll have to ask the Marines.

I am predisposed by my ascetic and altruistic nature to heavily favor the underdog. The specter of hapless fusion supporters graveling under the hobnailed boots of mindless reactionary authority types like whipped and yelping puppies provokes an almost involuntary and reflexive reaction to counter intervene in this gross injustice.

However, a diabolical deal has been stuck with the US navy. Polywell has sold it soul to the military who will in the do course of time remove this noble concept into the black pit of national security. If the polywell is successful in any great degree and extent, it will vanish down the security rabbit hole like did the x-117 stealth fighter and thermonuclear fusion from the affairs of man. It will only interest the selected few with a need to know who rise to this privilege after years of prescreening and enduring yearly lie detectors tests.

Even I in the full bloom of my beneficent and sympathetic nature, even I, a paramount of compassion and solicitude, even I, the supreme champion for the downtrodden, cannot overcome in the full flower of true and just conscience the justice that such an untoward situation manifests.

[MSimon]

Axil,

I guess us hapless pussies can't count on your support then. Pity.

I guess I'll have to ask the Marines.

I am predisposed by my ascetic and altruistic nature to heavily favor the underdog. The specter of hapless fusion supporters graveling under the hobnailed boots of mindless reactionary authority types like whipped and yelping puppies provokes an almost involuntary and reflexive reaction to counter intervene in this gross injustice.

However, a diabolical deal has been stuck with the US navy. Polywell has sold it soul to the military who will in the do course of time remove this noble concept into the black pit of national security. If the polywell is successful in any great degree and extent, it will vanish down the security rabbit hole like did the x-117 stealth fighter and thermonuclear fusion from the affairs of man. It will only interest the selected few with a need to know who rise to this privilege after years of prescreening and enduring yearly lie detectors tests.

Even I in the full bloom of my beneficent and sympathetic nature, even I, a paramount of compassion and solicitude, even I, the supreme champion for the downtrodden, cannot overcome in the full flower of true and just conscience the justice that such an untoward situation manifests.

Because of folks like us here, if the US Navy starts installing Polywells on CVNs it will be no more than 4 or 5 years before there are civilian versions.

Once you know it works funding is much easier to come by from civilians even if there is no certainty about the details.

There are already commercial entities sniffing around who have serious money behind them and at this point our ignorance far exceeds our knowledge.

The Navy put up the money when no one else would. For that (works or fails) I am eternally grateful.

[Alchemist]

He's more interested in his reputation than doing actual science. That says to me he's not a solid scientist.

Didn't Tesla have a bit of this same problem?

[MSimon]

He's more interested in his reputation than doing actual science. That says to me he's not a solid scientist.

Didn't Tesla have a bit of this same problem?

Tesla was doing radio control shows (boats in a tank of water)in New York in the late 1880s IIRC. He is now credited (among those who know) with the invention of radio.

Nothing wrong with being a salesman.

A certain fanatical salesman (ahem) is why small fusion is now flourishing when it was moribund just a few years ago. And I'm told (by those in the know) that the salesman in question was inspired by a great physicist/salesman and trained in the technology by one of the physicist's helpers.

Salesmanship can better be described as informing the public in order to create a market or move a product. Nothing happens in the world unless a deal is made.

[chrismb]

He's more interested in his reputation than doing actual science. That says to me he's not a solid scientist.

Not sure I understand your point.

I expected "Solid scientists" to mean like tenured academics. They, of all people, are certainly more interested in their reputations than doing actual science. That is the characteristic of a solid scientist in today's gravy-train research industry.

Real science is done by people who don't give a rat's stuff about their reputation.

[Kahuna]

LPP believes they had a "Great Month" in March.

http://lawrencevilleplasmaphysics.com/i ... &Itemid=90

A Great Month for Focus Fusion
Posted in News on April 02, 2010 by Aaron Blake

At the beginning of March, good shots (those without pre-firing and with pinches) were a bit under 50% of the shots we fired. Since mid-month, we have increased that to 90% good shots. The two time-of-flight neutron detectors have produced more evidence that we are already duplicating the high ion energies achieved with higher currents in the Texas experiments. In our best shots, ion energies were measured in the range of 40-60 keV (the equivalent of 0.4-0.6 billion degrees K). The electron beam carried about 0.5 kJ of energy and the plasmoid held about 1 kJ of energy, nearly half that stored in the magnetic field of the device. So, this is evidence that a substantial part of the total energy available is being concentrated in the plasmoids and transferred to the beams.

We found that the control shots (with the magnetic coil turned off) were increasingly producing more neutrons (up to about 10 times) as the control shots in the beginning of our testing. It turns out the steel flanges that attach the vacuum chamber to the inner lower bus plate and the bus plate itself were both becoming permanently magnetized. This provides additional (though unintended) evidence that the predicted angular momentum effect is working. In the future, we may find it necessary to replace the flanges and bus plate with those made from non-magnetic alloys, but that will have to wait for now.

On March 18, Lerner gave an invited presentation on the DPF to an audience of physicists and engineers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, the nation's largest fusion lab. The Princeton physicists responded with interest and some friendly questions. The atmosphere was one of collaboration, not competition.

Finally, we received enough investment money to carry us through the end of summer, with additional funding pledged. This means we are almost halfway to our goal of raising $900K in this capital drive.

Next Big Future adds a fews insights to the accomplishments here:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/04/dense- ... gfuture%29