If not, what is the result?

Yes and no. The primary reaction produces three alpha particles with a total of 17.5 MeV of energy, twice as much energy as is produced in the p+B11 reaction. However, deuterium fuses easily with itself (relatively speaking), producing neutrons or tritium in two equally possible reactions. Nevertheless, Wikipedia lists the D+He3 reaction as aneutronic, so by Wikipedia’s standards D+B10 should also count as aneutronic. Of course, even p+B11 produces a small amount of neutrons in side reactions.

Also, if I understand correctly, the D+B10 reaction may occasionally produce C11 and a neutron.

What is the source of this information:

“The primary reaction produces three alpha particles”. This is the same result of boron - 11, which was my question, but I couldn’t find the source.

Also, the pinch of boron, according to Eric’s theory, is 10 times denser than lead. So, Boron-10 could work as a shield for neutrons.

To be honest, my sources are kind of old:

http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/154/881/246.full.pdf

http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/154/881/279.full.pdf

But I’m not aware of any newer work on the D+B10 reaction. I get the impression that many nuclear reactions haven’t been studied intensively since the 1950s, or even the 1930s, in some cases, but I could be wrong about that. As for the boron-10 shielding the neutrons in a DPF plasmoid, that’s an interesting idea, and, I presume, one that lies in the realm of the theoretical for now. Perhaps it could be studied after we find out how well the p+B11 reaction works in the FF-1 device.

Do you know a book with tables about cross sections for different elements, like proton or deuterium + element? It might be that D+B10 cross section is much higher than D+D at its peak value.

MTd2 - 01 February 2011 03:54 PM

Do you know a book with tables about cross sections for different elements, like proton or deuterium + element? It might be that D+B10 cross section is much higher than D+D at its peak value.

This is a little 30-page chapter from a larger book that discusses a number of reactions relevant to controlled fusion and fusion in stars. (Warning: PDF.) Unfortunately, nothing about D + B 10. Interestingly, it shows p + B 11 with a huge, but very sharp resonance at 146 kEV, before its main peak over 500. Could some machine be designed to take advantage of that?

Arvid - 01 February 2011 06:17 PM

MTd2 - 01 February 2011 03:54 PM

Do you know a book with tables about cross sections for different elements, like proton or deuterium + element? It might be that D+B10 cross section is much higher than D+D at its peak value.

This is a little 30-page chapter from a larger book that discusses a number of reactions relevant to controlled fusion and fusion in stars. (Warning: PDF.) Unfortunately, nothing about D + B 10. Interestingly, it shows p + B 11 with a huge, but very sharp resonance at 146 kEV, before its main peak over 500. Could some machine be designed to take advantage of that?

The full book is “Tokamaks” by John Wesson

Although the resonance is important, the ions will be close to thermal equilibrium as so have a Maxwellian velocity distribution.  If you refer to fig 1.5 on page 18 of the pdf, rather than fig 1.3 it shows the Maxwellian averaged fusion cross section.  The averaged fusion cross section is slightly higher at temperatures below 100keV than it would otherwise be if you didn’t take the resonance into account.  But to get to appreciable reaction rates you still need to be over 100keV.

You could try a to create a non-Maxwellian system eg a beam of protons at exactly that energy.  But the energy you need to create a beam will always be many orders of magnitude more than the benefit.