Reply To: Toshiba's "Micro Nuclear Reactor" – it's not fusion, but it's here now

[zapkitty]

AaronB wrote: I like the General Fusion guys, but I think their approach will run into some difficulties…

Some “Well, buts…”

The basic concept has been known since Trinity and obviously they are going to try to use precision control of the pistons to compensate for any asymmetries of the central vortex. Indeed, their whole shtick relies on that level of control.

As for the extent of those asymmetries? The amount of the widening at each end of the central vortex, and thus the cumulative lensing effects would be determined by how close to full the chamber is at the start and the fluid rotation rate… but that again falls into the realm of calculation and piston control.

They are dancing closer to the edge of bomb code than any other fusion contender except NIF but there should still be plenty of daylight between what they want to do and the verboten zone. (Better be… the last thing the world needs is the oligarch’s favored global reservoir of their poison declaring that fusion is ITAR’d even if Canada and everyone else has it…)

But I don’t think the mist should be as big of a problem as you surmise because the plasma will already be in the middle of the central vortex by the time the wavefronts converge.