Reply To: Aether-Electron Coupling Rectenna

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DaveMart, assuming both technologies actually prove or are made feasible, DPF fusion has several advatages: a DPF could be much smaller… well at least ligher at anywhere beteen ~5-30m long, but only ~2m wide at the reactor and only ~.3m wide at the decelerator ends, Bussard’s inertial confined reactor would be about the size of a 50MW light water fission reactor or very roughly 10m by 20m cylinder (not including sheilding or steam turbines). Bussard’s ICR relies on conventional steam carnot cycle cooling and power generation which is far less efficient (only 30-40%) then what DPF fusion claims with direct linear decelerators of 60-80%, also steam turbines are claimed to be more expensive then linear decelerators. Price tag are claimed to be $.5M for a DPF fusion plant at 5MW and $200M for a 50MW Bussard’s ICR. Bussard’s ICR has the advantage that it is up-scalable with power outputs anywhere beyond 50MW (but not smaller as the reactor would end up energy negative) this is not much of a advantage as you can just make a array of DPF fusion reactors to compensate. Bussard’s ICR also has the advantage that it is much closer to reality if the data Bussard presented is true: so of both of these technologies DPF fusion is theoretically better, but Bussard’s ICR is more likely.

Refreance: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1996321846673788606