Reply To: General Fusion Inc

[Ivy Matt]

The DPF is unusual among nuclear fusion devices in that it is not expected to work better as a fusion reactor at larger scales. The Focus Fusion-1 device is already at the optimum* size for net fusion gain according to Eric’s theory, except that the electrodes will need to be shorter for the final experiments. (*Actually, i believe the DPF could be smaller, but then you’d have the electrodes too close to the plasmoid for comfort.) My understanding is that the major difference between FF-1 and other DPFs is that FF-1 has a greater amperage-to-size ratio than other DPFs.

With regard to the energy output, that’s determined by the frequency of the pulses. Too few pulses and the boron precipitates onto the electrodes. Too many pulses and cooling becomes difficult. I believe 5MW is the minimum viable output, and the maximum viable output is something like 20MW. Of course, if you want greater output, you can always use several devices in one power station.

You can use anything you want as the fill gas. LPP has been using deuterium to achieve the neutron yields they’ve reported. However, as I understand it, using heavier elements is an important factor in achieving higher density. For this reason they don’t expect to achieve net fusion gain until after they switch to using boron with hydrogen.