Search found 892 matches
- Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:05 am
- Forum: Design
- Topic: alternating current
- Replies: 17
- Views: 15265
What I meant was that the 50/60 hz might prove impractical enough that you'd need to pulse the reactor at a different rate. If a different pulse width worked well enough it would be favored instead, then you'd need to change your frequency to match the grid. How high could you go and still get a man...
- Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:15 pm
- Forum: Implications
- Topic: warfare, strategical and tactical implications
- Replies: 25
- Views: 21498
MAD is only useful when both sides are sane. Russia was sane, but even then, they were playing by a very different rule book, with much longer term considerations. Note the fact that they made their ICBM silos to be reloadable, rather than the one shot systems in the west. We are currently dealing w...
- Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:51 pm
- Forum: Implications
- Topic: Polywell and the grid
- Replies: 22
- Views: 20732
Something else to look at is what happens when everyone sets their thermostats to 72/80 degrees when it's pennies to run the AC/heater at those levels. Polywell fusion would make a hundred things cheaper, and a hundred other things practical. This will lead to a much greater load increase than is cu...
- Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:44 pm
- Forum: Implications
- Topic: Fun toy the Navy could add with a Polywell-equipped fleet
- Replies: 19
- Views: 20469
From what I can tell, a polywell and all it's attendant stuff(cryo, power converters, etc.) takes up about as much space as the reactor and steam gear for a fission system. On the other hand, the shielding and other concerns are less, meaning it's a lot lighter. There's also this: http://nextbigfutu...
- Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:07 pm
- Forum: Design
- Topic: alternating current
- Replies: 17
- Views: 15265
My dad mentioned this idea. You get pulsed DC out, which then just needs a transformer. Big challenge is controlling the field collapse on the down side of the DC pulse, which I'm sure people know how to do. A bigger challenge might be that you'd need to pulse the reactor at some arbitrary frequency...
- Sun Jun 07, 2009 9:55 pm
- Forum: Design
- Topic: Some sci-fi questions
- Replies: 35
- Views: 23423
Some sci-fi questions
Polywells look like they're much easier to "hand-wave" than other fusion systems, and I was looking to integrate them into my universe for what it's worth. There's a few questions that I've yet to find clear answers for though. First, what's the actual size? I understand a gigawatt reactor isn't tha...
- Sun Jun 07, 2009 9:41 pm
- Forum: Implications
- Topic: Polywell, ITER and the Helium Supply
- Replies: 31
- Views: 60140
What about hydrogen? Granted you'd need a "no smoking" sign in the cryo plant, but you can get it down to 20 K, and neon can get closer to the helium temps. Hydrogen should be enough for most superconductors. Think outside the box guys, is there an alternative coolant that could be cycled through th...