Another p11B Fusion Concept: Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion

[Henning]

The very moment I’m watching/listening to a podcast of a lecture given by Dr. Robert W. Bussard in front of Google technicians:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1996321846673788606

He is discussing a low cost fusion experiment based upon p11B fusion. Some details on the technology:
http://en.wiki.org/wiki/Inertial_electrostatic_confinement

He seeks about $200M of funding – a bit more than Focus-Fusion but still not too much compared to a tokamak.

I found that by the following article on Slashdot:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/hardware/06/11/18/0616205.shtml

[Rezwan]

Thanks Henning! Great info! I have posted an article about this on the website proper.

[Torulf]

A very interesting lecture. There are many alternative ways for fusion power.
Some of them have to work. Its important to have research on many alternatives.
seems to this concept can not do the direct conversion of fusion to electric energy.
If so it become more expensive than focus fusion. Butt still far better than the tocamac.

here are some links. An article in Americanscientist,”Fusion from Television?”.
http://www.americanscientist.org/template/As setDetail/assetid/15723#26671
or
http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/15723

And some critique of the “inertial-electrostatic confinement fusion” systems.
May by this critique is old now.
http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product. biblio.jsp?osti_id=165283

And a group of amateur scientist making home experiments with this devise.
http://fusor.us/index.html
http://fusor.net/
http://mr-fusion.hellblazer.com/fusion_links .htm

[Torulf]

According to wikipedias article on this so looks it not to be good
Chance for it to work. But it may not include the later progress by Bussard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnsworth-Hirsch_Fusor

Special this seems as Busard give no answer to this.
“Fundamental limitations on plasma fusion systems not in thermodynamic equilibrium”, thesis of Dr. Todd Rider
Maybe Todds thesis is a problem for focus fusion to?
And spoil the possibility for boron fusion.

[Torulf]

Ops writing again in this tread. Now I think I understand a little bit more.
The main component of energy loss according to Todds thesis are the “Bremsstrahlung”.
And this is the same as X-ray cooling.
If Lener are right abut the magnetic field effect there is no problem for the focus fusion
but probably for the inertial-electrostatic confinement fusion.

[Torulf]

Ok I was wrong. The concept may probably reduce the Bremsstrahlung with no help by strong magnetic fields.
The electrons are drawn to the outer electrode and the ions to the void in the central electrode.
Hence few electron-ion collisions and for that reason little X-ray cooling. There seems to be several ways to go round Todds thesis.

More links.
http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/iec/ftisite1.htm
http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/fti

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