FAQ Question - DONE

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Sun May 23, 2010 12:15 am

Greetings Perusers
The Polywell FAQ has a question that needs an answer. Any help? The question is:

Are there applications to polywell if power production is not achieved?

I would appreciate any answers or parts of answers that can be inserted with minimal edting!

hanelyp · Post by **hanelyp** » Sun May 23, 2010 3:35 am

The polywell would be useful as a compact high intensity fusion neutron source. It could be used as a high energy alpha source, but a simple particle accelerator could do the same.

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Sun May 23, 2010 12:08 pm

Thank you hanelyp.

That is a nice, brief statement and I will include it.

Anyone else have anything to add? More uses? More detail?

kunkmiester · Post by **kunkmiester** » Sun May 23, 2010 9:50 pm

It seems to be a reasonable way to get lots of collisions at certain energy levels. While it's nowhere near particle accelerator levels, are there any other reactions at that level that might be of interest?

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Mon May 24, 2010 6:21 pm

How is this as a response? Comments?

The polywell might be useful as a compact high intensity fusion neutron source. Neutron sources are useful in a number of areas.
1 Exotic medical imaging such as PET scanning uses very short lived radio-isotopes which are generated with neutron sources. Though no studies using Polywell sources are widely available, Polywells are a form of Inertail Electrostatic Confinement fusion which has been studied as a neutron sourse.
2 Polywells may also be useful as a neutron source for augmented fission power systems. Thorium fueled "molten salt reactors" either need significant ruel re-processing or an external sourse of neutrons to remain viable.

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Sun May 30, 2010 10:49 am

Final entry. The FAQ is a wiki, always open to further improvement.

The polywell might be useful as a compact, high intensity, fusion driven neutron source. Neutron sources are useful in a number of areas.

* Exotic medical imaging such as PET scanning uses very short lived radio-isotopes which are generated with neutron sources. Though no studies using Polywell sources are widely available, Polywells are a form of Inertial Electrostatic Confinement fusion which has been studied as an appropriate neutron source.
* Polywells may also be useful as a neutron source for neutron augmented fission power systems (usually called "accelerator driven" reactors because the neutrons are provided via accelerator driven spallation sources). Thorium fueled "molten salt reactors" either need significant fuel re-processing or an external source of neutrons to remain viable. Since fuel reprocessing may lead to diversion of fissile material for nefarious purposes, minimization or elimination of reprocess may make that fuel choice viable from a political standpoint.