Reply To: Focus fusion and transportation

[belbear]

This is also my idea of scalability: Using “multicore” vacuum vessels. (why stop with three? Why not 10 or more electrode sets in a single vessel?)
Even if every core needs its own drift tube, the X-ray converter and the capacitors can be shared. A failed electrode set is simply skipped in the firing sequence until repair can be done.

Multiple, complete units side by side can even be made “hot pluggable”, so power generation does not need to be interrupted when one unit fails. All the other ones can simply increase their pulse rate if normal operation has sufficient headroom.

Additional control over power output can be done by simply varying the pulse rate to match power demand. This VPR (Variable Pulse Rate) system will be very handy for FF reactors hooked up to a very small power grid. A ship for instance, where the power demand varies greatly from “all stop” standby power to “full speed ahead”.

Who says a 330Hz reactor cannot operate at 10Hz “standby power”? If it’s so small and cheap this can even be cost effective to increase overall reliability of a FF cluster power plant.