Allan Brewer wrote:
Does the boron have to be very pure – reagent grade? or will 20 mule team borax do?
Naturally boron occurs as 2 isotopes – about 20% is Boron10 and 80% Boron11. Only the Boron 11 will participate in the desired fusion reaction. I am unclear as to whether the Boron10 would slowdown the reaction or just reduce it by 20%? So it might be necessary to do isotope purification before use – fortunately this is already done for nuclear fission power stations who use the Boron10 in reactor walls to soak up neutrons, so maybe we can get their by-product Boron11 cheaply!
I believe the design of the shell is water surrounded by a layer of B10, for neutron absorption.
