Forbes - Fusion Crash Program Required

[ladajo]

Just for fun, I tried emc2fusion.org again, and this time got a totally blank page. Nothing at all but white space. I am not sure if this is due to being at work.

[mvanwink5]

I tried it, just GoDaddy. EMC2 is busy on their science project, what's the rush when there is all those i's to dot and t's to cross. Then there is the budgetary cycle and windmills to sell (and later decommission). After this latest money is used up, EMC2 will get a little more money dribbled in to keep the team employed, probably to improve diagnostics and understand the plasma better... I wonder if they have used deuterium yet? Probably not, got to get the electron injection problem with small diameter WB's solved (even though it would not be a problem with a larger (more expensive) polywell. Better to be cautious than take a budgetary risk.

Then there is the private money waiting for the government bureaucrats to finish dragging this out. Where are the old cut throat industrialists these days? Probably neutered by Harvard MBA trained bureaucrats.

[MSimon]

I tried it, just GoDaddy. EMC2 is busy on their science project, what's the rush when there is all those i's to dot and t's to cross. Then there is the budgetary cycle and windmills to sell (and later decommission). After this latest money is used up, EMC2 will get a little more money dribbled in to keep the team employed, probably to improve diagnostics and understand the plasma better... I wonder if they have used deuterium yet? Probably not, got to get the electron injection problem with small diameter WB's solved (even though it would not be a problem with a larger (more expensive) polywell. Better to be cautious than take a budgetary risk.

Then there is the private money waiting for the government bureaucrats to finish dragging this out. Where are the old cut throat industrialists these days? Probably neutered by Harvard MBA trained bureaucrats.

Speaking of windmills and decommissioning:

http://www.ecnmag.com/blogs/2013/03/gre ... gy-pirates

It has been two or three years since the industrial pirates have contacted me on Polywell. Probably longer.

[Robthebob]

I dont like how the people that knows stuff cant say anything and the people that knows nothing says everything.

[quixote]

Maybe they got their domain suspended for providing false WHOIS info.

Registrant ID:CR33058921
Registrant Name:Robert Bussard
Registrant Organization:EMC2 Fusion Development Corporation
Registrant Street1:PO Box 5943
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Santa Fe
Registrant State/Province:New Mexico
Registrant Postal Code:87502
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.5059888948
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:emc2qed@comcast.net
Admin ID:CR33058923
Admin Name:Robert Bussard
Admin Organization:EMC2 Fusion Development Corporation
Admin Street1:PO Box 5943
Admin Street2:
Admin Street3:
Admin City:Santa Fe
Admin State/Province:New Mexico
Admin Postal Code:87502
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.5059888948
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:emc2qed@comcast.net
Tech ID:CR33058922
Tech Name:Robert Bussard
Tech Organization:EMC2 Fusion Development Corporation
Tech Street1:PO Box 5943
Tech Street2:
Tech Street3:
Tech City:Santa Fe
Tech State/Province:New Mexico
Tech Postal Code:87502
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:+1.5059888948
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:emc2qed@comcast.net

[scalziand]

Where are the old cut throat industrialists these days?

Musk would have been perfect for investing in polywell/focus/frc/etc fusion, but then he hitched his wagon to the sun instead with solar City.

[mvanwink5]

Musk uses proven technologies, government money, and eliminates the bureaucratic levels, but, I mean solar? Oh, yeah, solar with government money. Three of these guys could get together with their own money and put a real polywell test together. Instead, it is more likely that when the polywell science project runs for another decade of low dollar science (government money), maybe Musk will get interested.

Rob, the point to be asking is why test at a WB size predicted to have electron injection problems and associated delays, then say, oh look, it is a good thing we tested here, look at those electron injection problems. Then spend a few years solving those problems, problems that won't be a problem with larger size WB's? Science project...with low bureaucratic risk.

In 10 years, maybe superconductor prices will fall low enough we could do a crowd sourced polywell of decent size ourselves.

[Robthebob]

I would ask folks that knows whats actually going on to comment, but they cant. Like I said, I dont like how the people that knows stuff cant say anything and the people that knows nothing says everything.

You may even ask why arent they experimenting with geometry (which is fine with me, I'm going to do that, on another note, yall talk the talk, but wont walk the walk, do you know how stupidly easy it is to experiment with geometry?)

We have like two and a half groups on this planet that have been experimentally working on polywell reactors and related topics (correct me if I'm wrong), we have scattered projects on simulations here and there, most of them are no bueno. (all of the ones done by folks on this website are no bueno, I've been told this in person) In fact, the theoretical discussion on this website is mostly no bueno, because it's not formal plasma physics or mathematical analysis.

No one's working on this, if you dont like the current situation, do something about it. I am actually doing something about it, education is slow, there is zero funding, but I'll get there.

Spoiler alert, (even though this is something we already know and have known for quite a while), it works. The sequester has been unkind to all science related projects in this country. Blame Congress for gambling with people's lives.

I know this doesnt address your question, I'm fairly certain I dont know the exact answer to your question, there is an answer to your question, but I'm pretty certain also the answer is not public information.

[mvanwink5]

Rob,
You are just saying the same thing only with positive spin. If it works, why is it still funded at minimal levels other than bureaucratic fumbling and risk avoidance? Meanwhile, windmills, etc are being subsidized heavily, with big money, later to be abandoned due to maintenance costs. (Nice political graft to GE and other cronies.) Then there is the issue that industrialists of this age only take government subsidized risks (Musk). The only meaningful polywell test is with a much larger WB and magnet strength, which avoids the small WB size electron injection problem predicted long ago by Bussard. Geometry is an optimization effort. If it works, it will work economically without optimization. Just make the coils 20% bigger and the power difference will swamp the optimized geometry change. No, it is being run as a shoestring science project with resulting long delays. Great science though...and low bureaucratic risk.

PS There are many here that would jump in, but the capital cost is currently out of their reach, including using crowd sourcing. Simulation tells you nothing at this point. Data is needed.

[mvanwink5]

Somewhere along the way American's were neutered. Take a look at project Orion to see bold and practical thinking...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4k_YZAX ... r_embedded
Then see what bureaucracy did to it.

[kcdodd]

Very interesting. The only ones possibly able to build an Orion at the moment are the North Koreans.

[Skipjack]

Very interesting. The only ones possibly able to build an Orion at the moment are the North Koreans.

No, they dont have functioning nukes and even the ones they could have any time soon (with a lot of luck) would be too big to be useful for that.

[kcdodd]

That's not what I've read.

[mvanwink5]

The Pakistanis, as I understand it, have provided key bomb design assistance to NK and in turn, NK has done so for Iran. How far that has gone, well, just ask the CIA who gave intel on Iraqi WMD before the multi trillion dollar war. I am sure we know exactly what is going on in NK...

Give us 10 years and maybe we will be building our own full scale SC polywell, with all the old codgers here.

[Skipjack]

That's not what I've read.

All their bomb tests so far fissled, which means they were failures. Since they have not done more tests to correct their mistakes, it is likely that they dont have any more bombs to test for either lack of materials or manpower.