Bussard's Polywell patent application is finally dead.

[hanelyp]

In my opinion, anyone unfamiliar with vacuum tubes in unqualified to evaluate the polywell. Both annealing and recirculation, vital effects for the device to work as intended, have more in common with vacuum tubes than most fusion devices.

[Joseph Chikva]

In my opinion, anyone unfamiliar with vacuum tubes in unqualified to evaluate the polywell. Both annealing and recirculation, vital effects for the device to work as intended, have more in common with vacuum tubes than most fusion devices.

I familiar with vacuum tubes but unfamiliar annealing and recirculation in them.
Could you provide me a link in which tube those effects are used?

Instead I familiar with for example travailing wave tube and know that its inventor experimented with virtual cathode and first discovered two-stream instability.

[Joseph Chikva]

I don't think any of the examiners or judges were plasma physicists.

May be they are musicians?

[D Tibbets]

I don't know if Bussard said Tokamak physicists were incapable of understanding Polywells. He did say that dedication to thermalized plasma, neutral plasmas, and MHD considerations limits the mainstream plasma physists from appreciating the differences in the Polywell. The limited distribution of experimental results doesn't help the situation.

What he did complain of in his Google talk was the lack of training of physicists in vacuum tube technology once transistors and integrated circuits became dominate. There is much in proven vacuum tube technology that applies to Polywells, and younger physicists lack this appreciation.



PS: The Riggatron was an approach to the Tokamak that moved the magnets closer to the plasma. While it had drawbacks on anticipated durability, as a research project I wander if it might have given answers (and possible solutions) in a more timely and cheaper fashion than the continually growing classical Tokamak approach. I also note that the low Beta Tokamak is very close to success. JET and Japanese efforts, along with others, have worked out much of the issues and ITER/ DEMO endeavors have good probability of success from a physics standpoint. But the tritium issues, liquid lithium blankets, diverter engineering issues are intimidating. And of course the cost will be tremendous. Even highly redundant wind and solar projects will be more economically viable.

I feel that any approach that can only use tritium as part of the primary fuel is doomed to engineering/ cost failure! Deuterium-deuterium fusion is a must, P-B11 fusion is just icing on the cake.

Dan Tibbets

[Joseph Chikva]

He did say that dedication to thermalized plasma, neutral plasmas, and MHD considerations limits the mainstream plasma physists from appreciating the differences in the Polywell.

There are many thousands plasma physicists around the world. Working in e.g. non-neutral plasma field, there are people working e.g. on propagation of very intensive ion beams through plasma column - so, coherent motion speed much higher than thermal motion's - so very non-thermal system. I do not understand what you mean saying "MHD considerations limits" but people investigate various types of instabilities theoretically and experimentally. Those people have not ability to understand? Or all many thousands have vision limitations and have not interest to discover something new?
For example, when I proposed the new non-thermal way to make fusion I began receiving invitation from many conferences including the main 2013 event in plasma physics "annual meeting of plasma physicists of American Physical Society".

[Robthebob]

Wiffleball, annealing and MaGrid are only the words thought up by Bussard.
Only 10 people understand whar wiffleball is?
IIRC you were very delighted when I provided you a 40 years old article about influence of plasma own field on externally applied field in mirror machines.
Those reasonings are not new too, my friend.
Simply, after extensive research "mainstream community" now states that mirror machines are not attractive for fusion. Yes, they provide possibility to run at higher beta (not 1 but about beta value varies from 0 to 0.7) due to unexpected cusp losses double product nτ always was lower than in dooghnut machines.

Yeah, lol no, I wish it was that simple, it's not, but it does happen though... I was pretty convinced it was similar to ballooning instability, but it wasnt, so my mistake. But that was a long time ago.

True cusp and mirrior machines suffers a lot from kinetic instabilities, but again, none of them had the WB effect. It's basically back to talking about different machines, the primary problems of these machines arent MHD instabilities, just like donut machines dont really suffer from kinetic instabilities, again stressing the difference in specialization.

Still wondering if im wasting my time.

[KitemanSA]

Still wondering if im wasting my time.

You are when you talk with Joey.

[AcesHigh]

let´s say Polywell breaks even.


But because its not patenteable because the patents office ruled it could not break even, its copied.

Can you sue the patents office for billions of dollars that you lost because of their misruling?

[Joseph Chikva]

True cusp and mirrior machines suffers a lot from kinetic instabilities, but again, none of them had the WB effect. It's basically back to talking about different machines, the primary problems of these machines arent MHD instabilities, just like donut machines dont really suffer from kinetic instabilities, again stressing the difference in specialization.

All plasma machines suffer from instabilities. This fact refuses so popular here statement about possibility for Polywell to run at beta=1. In reality neither machine can. And fusion rate is proportional to square of beta when all other parameters are the same. When instabilities gain destructive scale beta goes to nil and so fusion rate goes to nil too.

"WB effect" is only the word which by my understanding means superposition of own and applied fields in machine. Such reasonings are applicable for all mirror machines and IIRC you was very happy reading it when I have provided you a link of 40 years old article.

Why are you wasting time? I don't know. Because you wish I think.

Best regards.

[cgray45]

Another problem is that there have been so many "sure fire" fusion style patents that it's very difficult according to some scientists I spoke to, to get one.

On the other hand-- the day they produce break even with teh polywell, they can refile and then they WILL have met the most fundamental requirements for a patent-- a working process.

[hanelyp]

I understand a refile after demonstrated breakeven would have claims limited to details not covered in the now rejected filing.

[Robthebob]

Are you somehow suggesting it's impposible to get to beta=1, because I can assure you that's not true.

You hear, but you dont listen. WB effect, which I think I finally sorta understand, depends on the diamagnetic effect of electrons. The motions of the electrons generate fields of their own, which counteracts the field of the machine, this is the most simplistic explanation of it, so simplistic I think it's probably technically wrong. As I've said before, what I said before that I thought was how WB effect worked, due to ballooning effects, turns out to be incorrect. I've came out and corrected myself 3 times on that subject, this is the third time. Do not twist my words.

Yes, I do wish you used your brain and think for a second.

[Joseph Chikva]

Are you somehow suggesting it's impposible to get to beta=1, because I can assure you that's not true.

Due to instabilities, my friend that is impossible.
So, again let's compare plasma at beta=1 with filled at 100% swimming pool. We can keep there water only if there are not any waves.
But in your recent post you wrote:

True cusp and mirrior machines suffers a lot from kinetic instabilities,...

Now compare waves with instabilities of various types.

Regarding your explanation of WB effect, diamagnetic properties follow from superposition of plasma own field with externally applied field. You are repeating my words here. But diamagnetic properties has any plasma in any device. And thinking up a new name "wiffleball" particularly for Polywell would be less helpful as that can be considered only as marketing trick for people like you (look man, if they will achieve WB effect, so they will achieve fusion with Q>1). In reality they are achieving wiffleball effect in every device but nevertheless they are achieving nothing promising for fusion.

If you would use your brain better and would think for a second you will get it too.

[KitemanSA]

Are you somehow suggesting it's impposible to get to beta=1, because I can assure you that's not true.

Rtb, don't waste your time. Joey doesn't accept that 0.99 with occasion forays into 1.0+ is close enough to call beta=1.

[Robthebob]

I'm going to go ask around.