Focus Fusion Society Forum

Proton shrinks in size

2010-07-24T09:44:27-05:00

This just in: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100707/full/news.2010.337.html

The proton seems to be 0.00000000000003 millimetres smaller than researchers previously thought, according to work published in today’s issue of Nature.

The difference is so infinitesimal that it might defy belief that anyone, even physicists, would care. But the new measurements could mean that there is a gap in existing theories of quantum mechanics. “It’s a very serious discrepancy,” says Ingo Sick, a physicist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, who has tried to reconcile the finding with four decades of previous measurements. “There is really something seriously wrong someplace.”

What are the implications?

But, Carlson says, “the first thing is to go through the existing calculations with a fine-toothed comb”. It could be that an error was made, or that approximations made in existing quantum calculation simply aren’t good enough. “Right now, I’d put my money on some other correction,” he says. “It’s also where my research time will be going over the next month.”

Fusion plant to be built in Iran

2010-07-25T23:17:47-05:00

Here is a link to an article about a proposed Iranian fusion program:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/07/24/iran.nuclear.fusion/index.html

Do you think they are planing to use Aneutronic Fusion?

Rolled Up Capacitors Have Double the Energy Density of Flat Capacitors

2010-07-15T12:38:16-05:00

Found that article on “Next Big Future”: Rolled Up Capacitors Have Double the Energy Density of Flat Capacitors

Maybe we should also think about how to improve capacitors. The size of capacitors doesn’t matter for focus fusion, but this might improve inductance and resistance, which does affect current rising time.

continuous or pulsed power output?

2010-07-04T23:51:39-05:00

This may be a dumb question but that’s never stopped me before…

Will the eventual power output of the finished reactor be continuous, or will it be pulsed?

Deep plasma focus fission?

2010-07-11T17:20:49-05:00

Mini-Mag Orion (MMO), or Miniature Magnetic Orion, is a proposed type of spacecraft propulsion, based on the Project Orion nuclear propulsion system. The Mini-Mag Orion system achieves propulsion by compressing fissile material in a magnetic field (a Z-pinch) until fission occurs. This fission reaction propels the craft. MMO should be able to propel 100 tons to Mars within 3 months, or to Jupiter in about one year.

Basically, this propulsion concept would squeeze the fissile material in a z-pinch machine to very high density until the fissile material goes critical. The resulting explosion is used for propulsion.

Changing the point of criticality

* Varying the density of the mass

The higher the density, the lower the critical mass. The density of a material at a constant temperature can be changed by varying the pressure or tension or by changing crystal structure (see Allotropes of plutonium). An ideal mass will become subcritical if allowed to expand or conversely the same mass will become supercritical if compressed. Changing the temperature may also change the density; however, the effect on critical mass is then complicated by temperature effects (See Changing the temperature) and by whether the material expands or contracts with increased temperature. Assuming the material expands with temperature (enriched Uranium 235 at room temperature for example), at an exactly critical state, it will become subcritical if warmed to lower density or become supercritical if cooled to higher density. Such a material is said to have a negative temperature coefficient of reactivity to indicate that its reactivity decreases when its temperature increases. Using such a material as fuel means fission decreases as the fuel temperature increases.

* Use of a neutron reflector

Surrounding a spherical critical mass with a neutron reflector further reduces the mass needed for criticality. A common material for a neutron reflector is beryllium metal. This reduces the number of neutrons which escape the fissile material, resulting in increased reactivity.

I have been wondering for a long time, if the plasma focus device could be used to produce fission. The above excerpts from Wikipedia say that the higher the density the lower the critical mass. If a plasma of u238 is injected into a plasma focus device, the high density plasmid should undergo fission and release energy. A microscopic nuclear bomb. Or would it be in the nanometer range? It would be interesting if the plasmid behaved the same way as in the proposed fusion of hydrogen and boron. Would it release the two beams, the ion and electron beams, just like in fusion. Could these beams than be converted directly to electricity using the same scheme as for fusion. Granted, you would still have to deal with neutrons and neutron activation. But, if this type of reactor proves to be very efficient, the amount of fuel used would be less, so neutron production would be proportional less.

I heard that DPF is used as neutron source for various applications, in which ionized deuterium and/or tritium fusion produces the neutrons. Could a a small amount of fissile plasma added to deuterium/tritium cause the release of more energy, so that the device would break even. Simple using the fission energy to start a fusion in the plasmid? Like the bombs?

The DPF technology is mature and has been in use for quite some time as the previously mentioned neutron source. The DPF is much simpler, lighter and safer than the z-pinch machine, all are pluses if it is used for space craft propulsion. The attributes of the DPF would greatly benefit earth based power system. Since I think such a power system would have a higher power density many times that of the current reactors in use. This would translate in less radioactive materials to handle and dispose of.

Anyway, is this possible? If it is, I think of this as a back up power source, in case fusion doesn’t pan out.

Conductive Fluid Switch Idea.

2010-07-05T14:56:31-05:00

The switch problem is interesting. I’m wondering if a conductive fluid switch could be constructed. I’m picturing fluid flowing through multiple ducts to simultaneously fill a large gap area. The fluid could be controlled with a high-pressure differential of helium gas on either side, which could be oscillated for continuous cyclic operation. The fluid could be tangentially circulated for cooling. I know developing such a switch is out of the question short term, but is perhaps a good long term solution. Maybe not possible to get such a switch to operate at 200 hz though. The scale would have to be such that the interface between the gas and fluid would remain intact - that is no bubbles in the fluid and no droplets in the gas. The dynamics are outside my current knowledge. Can anybody either shoot this down or prop it up? Thanks.

Cost of Focus Fusion Power Plant

2010-07-05T11:26:49-05:00

Has anyone come up with cost estimates or budgets of a proposed FF power plant? How much would the capital cost and operating costs be for starting such a plant from scratch? Can an existing power plant be modified using aneutronic technology? Remember no matter how environmental attractive focus fusion might be it has to compete in the real world with existing energy prodcution facilities.

Fossil Fuel is Subsidised

2010-05-05T10:38:28-05:00

There is an interesting article about subsidised fossil fuels.

Between 2002 and 2008 the United States spent 72 billion dollars on fossil fuel subsidies, but only 29 billion dollars on renewable energy resources—nearly 17 billion dollars of which went to corn-based ethanol, an agricultural fuel that many environmentalists argue is not carbon-neutral and has been linked to deforestation and food crises.

Java Errors

2010-06-19T04:23:18-05:00

During the installation of JRE i am having errors 1035, 1305.

Can any one give me a solution of this. I am using Windows XP.

New Anode Cooling ‘Limits’ Likely

2010-02-09T13:16:18-05:00

Since the DPF design process hinges on how much heat can be removed from how small of an anode radius/area, I decided to verify Eric’s number regarding heat removal ceilings. What I found was an off-the-shelf heat pipe which I think is titanium (melts at a little over 3,000 F) and uses Lithium as the working fluid.

I did a preliminary design drawing (http://energymadecleanly.com/anode.pdf) exploring using this part as well as asking about the preferred berylium/helium construction for FF generators. I just talked with a sales rep and expect some feedback from their engineers tomorrow around this time.

If this works, we’re free to run it at much higher temperatures, decrease anode radius, raise field strength, reduce rundown time, (more energy to the plasmoid), and hopefully slash X-ray production to below 25% of total charged particle output. The X-ray part is a wild hope, since Eric’s tables don’t show field strength affecting it very much.

What think?