Reply To: NIMBY FUD
The Focus Fusion Society › Forums › Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) Science and Applications › World running out of helium – so make some with a DPF › Reply To: NIMBY FUD
asymmetric_implosionHmmmm. Lets do the math.
PF reactor will produce a net of 66 kJ per shot according to Sankey diagram on LPP website. With 8.7 MeV/reaction, that requires, 4.75E16 reactions per shot to produce the fusion energy. Each reaction produces 3 helium atoms so 1.4E17 atoms per shot. You fire 200 shots per second giving you 2.8E19 atoms per second. For reference, your average helium tank in party store for balloons holds 300 cubic feet or 8.5 cubic meters of helium at standard pressure and temperature. The standard pressure and temperature density of helium is 2.7E25 atoms/m^3. The total number of atoms to fill the bottle is 2.3E26 atoms. Using the production rate, it will take more than 90 days to fill a single bottle from a 5 MW PF reactor as proposed by LPP. I can’t speak for anyone else but we use a helium bottle every month and we are a very small lab. You would probably be able to produce the world’s total electricity needs many times over before you could produce enough helium to sustain the current demand.