[Aeronaut]

The patent is built around this coil’s projected ability to control plasmoid diameter, thus evening out yield variations of as much as 10:1 on shots that look like identical starting conditions. The initial angular (spin) velocity magnifies to the 4th power, so even an air conditioning compressor and fan could account for such large variations when the coil isn’t connected.

Energizing the AMC coil seems to have stabilized yields by overpowering all local fields. Hopefully it won’t be too difficult to get at least 256 programmable plasmoid diameters.

[Aeronaut]

Breakable wrote: If you press an arrow up or arrow down it should open a signup form. The registration is extremely fast/simple. The website had some problems recently, but it seems they are getting fixed.

Btw it is the best site for getting news, at least for me.

They do have a sizable following.

[Aeronaut]

vansig wrote:

In one of my previous posts, I suggested the possibility of a free alpha laser that works on a somewhat similar princple to a free electron laser. Only instead of using a beam of negatively charged electrons to amplify a laser beam, it would employ an energetic beam of positively charged alpha particles from a focus fusion device to serve much the same purpose.

Among the many uses for such a device considered are faster rates of deep well drilling through hard rock, boring tunnels through mountains and other construction work, and for solar sailing spacecraft operation in conjunction with an onboard focus fusion thruster.

I’d like to hear some feedback from people out there as to what other possible uses or applications such a potentially extremely powerful fusion – fed alpha laser might be good for.

something like this, perhaps the ion beam, or laser, maybe could make a shock wave modifier for reducing drag in hypersonic flight.

Lerner wrote:
So that leaves the ion beam. In space it is very hard to aim a charged particle beam because of the earth’s magnetic fields. In air, the beam will just not penetrate very far.

I wonder how far, though.

By hypersonic I assume hydrogen powered like the NASP was supposed to be? That type of plane is big enough to use one or more FF’s at the point of use, say the hottest part of the nose, air intakes, possibly leading edges, where only a cm may be more than enough to solve some significant materials engineering challenges.

[Aeronaut]

vansig wrote:

I take it you are now able to see all the posts again.

pagination gets in the way, though, and foils attempts to print the whole thread.
pretty-well all my replies so far can only be found on page 2 or later.
i’m wondering if anyone will see them?

perhaps there is a config setting for that?

One workaround for putting an entire thread in one scrollable doc is MS One Note, but any text editor should do. On the 5 to 7 page threads, this is a verrry handy workaround.

[Aeronaut]

The link to the discussion page is working now. It wasn’t when I tried right after you posted this thread. Signup form is working, then takes you to the discussions page. I left a comment. Went through 150 headlines trying to find your story so I could vote it. The site is functional but still fugged, imho.

[Aeronaut]

Somehow I get the message that the MoD isn’t going to get their new design.

Nah, we’d just see Big Mining don pinstriped space suits and pay in company scrip. That way a loaf of bread won’t cost $10,000. It’s all for our own good, don’t you know.

[Aeronaut]

jamesr wrote:

Think we could do that in PWR fashion by pumping water through a beryllium anode and controlling the steam pressure with the cooling water pressure? I hear PWRs are making a comeback these days :shut:

There is no way a small beryllium electrode could withstand water pressurised to the 160bar or so needed to keep it liquid through the primary circuit, as they do in PWRs

As I understand it, the plan is to use helium gas as the primary coolant. What you then do as a secondary stage largely depends on how high a temperature you can let the helium outlet be. I am guessing no more than 480C. In which case a standard boiler & small forced cooling heat sink would be enough to dump 2MW. If you have several FF units together, the secondary circuits could be linked, and make it economical to put the steam through a turbine and recover 35% or so of the heat energy.

If the anode can cope with the helium temperature outlet being above 800C, then direct cycle options such as gas turbines become a possibility. But not probably worth it. High temperature gas turbines are being proposed and worked on for 4th Gen Fission reactors like the GT-MHR. However, even if you could operate at this temperature, I think the maximum pressure the anode can handle may be a limiting factor.

So much to learn, so little mind…

What kind of cooling channel wall thickness do you think we’d need to pump water at 160bar through a beryllium anode? I’m picturing 2 coaxial cooling tubes where cool source water flows up the outer layer and hot water returns down the anode’s centerline channel. I was going to ask required flow volume in L/sec until it dawned on me that we’re trying to cool a 10- to 30 nS heat impulse.

We can make the anode pretty much any diameter we please, as long as we don’t mind tradeoffs like required cathode diameters and cap bank size. Cap bank can be spread across many cores, so that’s not a huge issue. The payoff would be a drop-in boiler replacement that pays for itself in coal savings. I’d really like to target gas turbines, too, but that’s beginning to resemble another year.

[Aeronaut]

Lerner wrote: You have to figure that you need to get something like 2 MW heat out of the anode or it will melt, no matter what it made of. Titanium will absorb a lot of x-rays in a very small layer. It will just boil away. You can look up x-ray absorption lengths on NIST’s website. Anything other beryllium will absorb in such a small layer that it will just disappear. With Be, the x-rays mostly pass through or are absorbed in the bulk of the anode, not a thin layer. Yes it requires special conditions to machine it safely but that it possible.

Thanx for the insights and leads, Eric. Think we could do that in PWR fashion by pumping water through a beryllium anode and controlling the steam pressure with the cooling water pressure? I hear PWRs are making a comeback these days :shut:

PD, I was born ready. :coolsmirk:

[Aeronaut]

Looks like the universal (unquestionable) test instrument. The referee, if you will. Settles all disputes except for those involving closed minds (see this month’s Discover Magazine’s bird experiments, lol)

I’m guessing the best use is as an independent cross-check on the existing instrumentation. As the available power ramps up, we’ll begin finding sweet and sour spots where that extra resolution is our ace in the hole.

[Aeronaut]

Just posted the detailed planning page. As you’ll see, the only clear-cut critical paths are political in nature. looks like you’ve been busy too, Rezwan.

[Aeronaut]

Rezwan wrote:

One year from now, the NRC would have to hire a lot of people to handle at least 2,500 applications for research reactors. This would begin the experience database required for FAA style type certification, which would be required for an Aneutronic Fusion licensing category.

Glad to see your enthusiasm! Rushing it a bit, don’t you think? They’ve got to get it to work, first – actually, prove the concept first – then another several years for a prototype.

And to get it to work, they’ve got to make sure they have enough funding now, and can get through these current obstacles. Quite a bit of homework and nitty gritty to focus on now before we bring in the licensing lawyers!

2,500 universities shaking down their alumni would reach the world’s movers and shakers, as well as the future Bill Gates and Dave Thomas’s, as ~250,000 physics and engineering students who stand to benefit in terms of documented experience spread the buzz to at least 25 million people.

How easy is it to get 2,500 universities to shake down their alumni? Why wait for future Bill Gates, when you can probably get a pitch in to the present Bill much easier than shaking down 2,500 universities?

I’m getting the sense you’re more comfortable with a future, hypothetical world where everything works smoothly, than the present problematic world.

The base rationale could extend from the need to suspend disbelief, like we all do every time we watch a movie.

Watch out about suspending disbelief. This isn’t a movie. Suspend disbelief and get burned, and you lose goodwill. No need to appeal to wishful thinking. I’d rather have people on board that are up for the hard work, trial and error to get this done. And who will appreciate it for the miracle it is, if it works out really quickly.

Aneutronic fusion, folks. It sounds like you’re underestimating the challenge here.

Due diligence

Yes. Due diligence, which is still pending for phase I proof of concept. Due diligence in getting the research funds raised, getting the machine to fire like a charm, connecting the dots with other researchers for useful feedback, insights and suggestions, connecting the dots on the supply chain, publishing papers and getting peer review, systematically testing every facet of the machine.

It may be useful to take a step back here to think about the present challenges, and let the future take care of itself.

2 years from now…

Inshallah.

Very well reasoned and spoken from the conventional wisdom point of view, Rezwan. I believe we need to move those problems from serial processing /critical path organization into a land-grab or gold rush mentality where school pride rides on proven scientific and engineering prowess that is only a current world record for (onion) power density.

My high school library’s foyer had a bust of John F. Kennedy, with the inscription “Some men see things as they are and ask Why?. I see things as they are not and ask Why Not?”. I was around 6 years old when he made that speech and the one committing America to winning the race to the moon. And I miss that type of leadership. Especially after handing Canada the gold medal in hockey for no reason other than lacking the sustained will to win.

I just rewrote http://energymadecleanly.com to galvanize public action at all levels. Note the implied threat that if we don’t aggressively pursue this and require it to happen, some heads-up country will. 😉

My future world looks a lot rosier given a heads-up government is elected in the 2010 and 2012 elections. Ever see the Bill Gates cartoon right after Episode 1 came out, showing his shadow as the Winders logo? Remember, just last week we proved that it would have been a lot easier to get 5 minutes of his time 30 years ago. I subscribe to Inc magazine, by the way, which is about the people who don’t have time to wallow in headlines about how tough it is in the business as usual world- these people are growing companies and hiring people.

The first beneficiaries of having at least 2,500 universities competing for onion prizes is going to be the toolmakers, who will in turn be noticed by Wall Street, as if $2.5G flowing into the university system is going to go unnoticed. 2,500 FF-1 clones will deliver a resounding Hell Yes It Works!. I see unity as when, not if.

The licenses fund LPP’s lead research, since the vast majority of the world seems unable or unwilling to transcend their teachers and create their own masterpieces. Maybe this went out of style when WW2 transformed American workplaces from job shops into true mass production.

Are you sure you’re not over-estimating the challenges? This is Eric and Aaron’s third scaling test. The one that’s designed to at least achieve unity. I got nothing to lose by betting on the future, and I’m sure over 90% of America feels the same way, given asset erosion, if not outright theft.

Later, gator. Got 2 links to nowhere that need written :coolsmile:

[Aeronaut]

Just emailed you from my emc account.

[Aeronaut]

Maybe Wolfgang can make and install a custom electrode to arc across the entire grounding rim?

[Aeronaut]

Breakable wrote: I know absolutely nothing about cars, but after doing some research i think you might want to investigate the
Semi-surface-discharge configuration
you can see it here in the bottom right:
http://www.sparkplugs.com/glossaryImage.asp?imgID=471
Edit:
Alternativelly K22PB W20EPB
http://www.denso.com.sg/plug/img_ip19.jpg
from
http://www.denso.com.sg/tpl/pdtlineup_plug_lineup.html

Breakable’s bottom link shows an iridium plug and a melting temperature that suggests it might work. If it doesn’t work, here’s another “high temperature” plug you can get in “The Zone”:
http://www.splitfire.com/troubleshooting.html

[Aeronaut]

Breakable wrote: A little early, and unrequested, but still:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703315004575073701233356046.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_sanfran

Don’t hold your breath…

[Author]

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