Cooling Load requried

[Aeronaut]

As Brian mentioned in the Policy Integration thread,

Brian H wrote:
I believe Eric’s estimate is that it would take about 9 hrs. for the external housing/maintenance space to return to background levels after shut-off. So it would take about a day to turn around each annual or semi-annual servicing.

This design may be heating what would be known as the “hot side” of a fission plant’s heat exchanger. Not good. A search for Most Effective Neutron Shielding Materials produced this website: http://wardray-premise.com/structural/neutron.html which makes neutron and X-ray shielding products. Their Premadex product can be poured into molds at 95 to 100 degrees C, which could make it a candidate for the vacuum chamber’s material or the sleeve that the core would slide into in my design. In non-boiler applications, this would immensely reduce the mass and material requirements. I’m assuming that being non-ferrous, it would have no RF shielding abilities.

Elemental Composition

Element Percentage by Weight Concentration (Atoms cm-3)
Hydrogen 11.4 6.81 x 1022
Lithium[1] 1.3 0.11 x 1022
Oxygen 39.9 1.51 x 1022
Carbon 47.4 2.38 x 1022

So my questions are how thick this would have to be for a 1khz pulse rate (attenuating to background level), and will it absorb most of the X-rays heading in those directions in the process?

[JimmyT]

How can we be sure, with our current data, that the earth’s magnetic field will be optimal with any tilt of the electrodes? Maybe a somewhat stronger field is necessary. In which case —> Blake coil.

[Aeronaut]

JimmyT wrote: I thought about the diode solution. But I was afraid it would get blown. I can’t calculate the voltage involved, but I think that It may be considerable.

I hate expensive parts, even cheap extra parts, but the friendly folks who build the cap bank controller may have a solution. I believe peak voltage is calculated around 4 to 5x input voltage, as the pinch occurs. Best case might be a multi-bank controller that would let us define the new coil as a cap bank. This could get us down to current vs voltage phasing.

[Aeronaut]

JimmyT wrote: How can we be sure, with our current data, that the earth’s magnetic field will be optimal with any tilt of the electrodes? Maybe a somewhat stronger field is necessary. In which case —> Blake coil.

Lotsa experimental baseplates for each manufacturer, since Baby’s optimized for New Jersey by definition, lol.

[JimmyT]

Before the age of solid state ignition systems, those of us who are old enough, remember ignition coils. These worked via a pinch, although I never heard it called that. Input voltage 12 volts. Output voltage ~10,000 volts. I know that it’s dependent on the relative number of turns in the primary and secondary. But, I don’t think you can use any 4x or 5x the input voltage rule of thumb.

The plasma focus sort-of works as a step-up transformer in that sense. Concentrating magnetic forces.

I know that two of the factors that go into the induced voltage spike are: magnetic field strength and speed of field decay.
Beyond that: proximity of the field, geometry of the objects involved, and of course materials they are made of.

Anything more elaborate than that gets a little above my pay grade.

[jowabea]

This is going to be a bit of an ignorant question, and somewhat behind the flow of the thread. But, at the temperatures discussed, can someone help me understand what temperature and pressure the fuel chamber will requre to maintain gaseus Boron, given that wikipedia reports the boiling point at over 3900C?

[JimmyT]

Sure thing. The problem is you are looking at elemental boron, not decaborane. Which will be the fuel used. Try Wiki again using that.

[JimmyT]

Why is it that every time that someone prefaces their question with “this is going to be a stupid question”; they always follow by asking an excellent question?

As to the pressure Eric envisions using. Well below 1 atmosphere. I can’t remember exactly. 1/10th or maybe 1/100?

[jowabea]

I didn’t say stupid, only ignorant. And given how simple the answer is, I feel it was accurate, even if unnecessary.

So that makes me wonder, is there any difference in fusion reactions involving atoms in existing molecular bonds, versus D+D or D+T type reactons? Do the decaborane molecular bonds fall apart once the ultra-high temperature plasmoid is formed?

[Aeronaut]

JimmyT wrote: Before the age of solid state ignition systems, those of us who are old enough, remember ignition coils. These worked via a pinch, although I never heard it called that. Input voltage 12 volts. Output voltage ~10,000 volts. I know that it’s dependent on the relative number of turns in the primary and secondary. But, I don’t think you can use any 4x or 5x the input voltage rule of thumb.

The plasma focus sort-of works as a step-up transformer in that sense. Concentrating magnetic forces.

I know that two of the factors that go into the induced voltage spike are: magnetic field strength and speed of field decay.
Beyond that: proximity of the field, geometry of the objects involved, and of course materials they are made of.

Anything more elaborate than that gets a little above my pay grade.

Oh, yeah, I remember coils, distributors, condensers, and breakers. You’re right about the speed of decay- the breaker simply cut the current, and the collapsing field created counter EMF. The high voltage had no current to speak of. All it had to do was spark the air/gas mixture.

I went thru the video this morning, since I’m almost positive that’s where Eric mentioned the 5 to 6 fold voltage spike to the caps. Missed what I was looking for, but am now a LOT clearer on the current flows, mag fields, and instabilities.

Going back to my tank circuit diagram, inserting a 2 bank cap controller for ignition and profit caps, and the diamond switch leaves just the FF reactor as the “coil” in the circuit. It leaves the rails when you try to add a coil or cap to explain how this “supercoil” puts out 1.8 x input. Since this isn’t a paper FF, less than 100% of the energy that’s made it this far makes it to the next instability/transfer. This means there is a residual magnetic field to discharge with a reverse current, or account for as an electrostatic charge. Works for me on runout, so far. I still need to sketch/note the whole process to be sure.

[Brian H]

jowabea wrote: I didn’t say stupid, only ignorant. And given how simple the answer is, I feel it was accurate, even if unnecessary.

So that makes me wonder, is there any difference in fusion reactions involving atoms in existing molecular bonds, versus D+D or D+T type reactons? Do the decaborane molecular bonds fall apart once the ultra-high temperature plasmoid is formed?

Molecular bonds are no match for the temperatures in the plasmoid; all atoms are reduced to elemental ions. Molecular bonds are electron shell interactions, and many orders of magnitude too weak to hold up in such energetic environments.

[Brian H]

JimmyT wrote: How can we be sure, with our current data, that the earth’s magnetic field will be optimal with any tilt of the electrodes? Maybe a somewhat stronger field is necessary. In which case —> Blake coil.

The required field was imposed with internal magnets once it was discovered that the terrestrial field was responsible for the rotation of the filament.

[Lerner]

About boron–yes,the decaborane will break down after the first pulse. We don’t know yet if the boron will need to be gaseous or just going back and forth between a fog of liquid drops and gaseous when the pulse passes through. The plasma in the chamber will be hot, certainly 2000C or more and far hotter than the electrodes at 700-800 C–thus the cooling problem. Pressures won’t be very extreme–several atomospheres.

[Brian H]

Lerner wrote: About boron–yes,the decaborane will break down after the first pulse. We don’t know yet if the boron will need to be gaseous or just going back and forth between a fog of liquid drops and gaseous when the pulse passes through. The plasma in the chamber will be hot, certainly 2000C or more and far hotter than the electrodes at 700-800 C–thus the cooling problem. Pressures won’t be very extreme–several atomospheres.

Is an atom-o-sphere an atmosphere comprising circular atoms? 😉

It would seem that the electrodes would be being heated even in the period between pulses. Maybe thermal insulation would be a good idea.

[Brian H]

And speaking of boron, I’ve been reading that in some cases the last stage of desalinization is the removal of boron from the water. Suggests an interesting circular application and fuel cycle!

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