Talk-Polywell.org

I'm working an another science fiction novel and part of it (not a central part) is a drive to get polywell units deployed and ready to go.

So, if say the government walked up to the polywell people and said: "I need this within 12 months, preferably sooner-- we need to know if it will work. In order to do this, you have a blank check of billions, not just in cash but in access to trained engineers and facilities"

how fast coudl it be made to work, presuming it did work? (The novel assumes that the concept is workable).

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure Bussard thought he could make it work within a couple years given just $200 million. No need for Manhattan style funding. For fiction, you could say 3 months and a billion dollars and get away with it.

a quote from a movie I watched recently:

more or less, "Beautiful building! How long would that take to build here <Paris>? Oh, nine or ten years, but in the UAE, nine or ten months. Really, well I guess you just have to love the labor laws."

cgray45 wrote: "I need this within 12 months, preferably sooner-!

A sci fi novel.....11 months and 3 weeks.

Don't forget, it's the Navy.
Construction must be done with absolute secrecy; for 30 years?
It must fit into the preexisting nuclear compartments onboard ship.
Your on the hook for >30 years of maintenance in the Persian Gulf, Sea of Japan, and the Indian sea.
And you have to play golf with the Admirals every weekend
And of course sea trials and exercises.

Ray

It must fit into the preexisting nuclear compartments onboard ship.

Only if NR gets control.

rrogers wrote:It must fit into the preexisting nuclear compartments onboard ship.

Limiting if, as speculated, the polywell is suited for mid sized ships that existing nuclear fission tech isn't accepted for.

hanelyp wrote:

rrogers wrote:It must fit into the preexisting nuclear compartments onboard ship.

Limiting if, as speculated, the polywell is suited for mid sized ships that existing nuclear fission tech isn't accepted for.

"Existing" nuclear fission tech isn't accepted for mid size ships only becasue NR isn't willing to admit that Adm Rickover messed up when he chose the PWR style reactor. If they'd gone with the MSR type, we'd have most of our ships powered by nuclear power, and probably most of the country too.

NR played with MSR and liquid metal back in the day. There were concerns for shipboard suitability at the time as I recall. I'd have to poke around.

maybe like what happens if they spring a leak? lol

yup, explosive molten lithium is pretty stupid. Molten lithium FLUORIDE in the other hand is pretty darn stable.

As I said, NR won't acknowledge that the guy who invented the Pressurized Water Reactor knew whereof he spoke when he said they weren't very safe, and thus needed lots of secondary and tertiary safety systems.

This same guy (Alvin M. Weinberg) spent the remainder of his career developing the Molten Salt Reactor, til he was fire by Nixon, another strike against that SOB (N, not W).

ladajo wrote:NR played with MSR and liquid metal back in the day.

NR looked at the MSR? Data please? I know they did that ridiculous LMFB, but MSR???

Might be paper only, I have to dig. I don't think it will be a "no further comment" Let me see.

Ladajo it really is great having you around, not just in terms of attitude of course, but information.