[Impaler]

@Milemaster:
While I’m not particularly knowledgeable on the difficulties presented to a combined capacitor/photovoltaic system I strongly suspect it will not be practical from an engineering point. We already know the X-Ray photovoltaics look to be the main engineering challenge after viable fusion is demonstrated. The X-Ray collectors efficiency is crucial to the final system net output and estimates are that 20% will be needed just for break-even. Thus all effort should be directed solely towards maximum efficiency and the more functionality that can be offloaded to other equipment the better particularly when that function is easily found in off the shelf components such as a capacitor bank or a vacuum chamber. Even with the ‘Roll’ being designed purely for photovoltaic collection I predict it will easily exceed 50% of the total system capitol costs, it is by far the part that will be most complex to fabricate because it will be a completely NEW device manufactured only for the FF Generator, that means new specialized equipment in small quantities. All that means Big costs.

[Impaler]

Milemaster wrote: If needed, this device must be THE containment vessel not an exterior shell of a Stainless steel chamber as now.

I know the concept pictures show an ‘Onion’ with a spherical reaction chamber at the center but this should not be taken literally. Their is no need to do it that way as the X ray collection can be in any shape around the chamber so long as it collects the rays cost effectively, their is no ‘focusing’ the X-rays back into the reaction chamber, the rays will all leave on a one way trip. The threads on the Onion have mostly concluded that thousands of uniquely curved hemispheres of foil is a manufacturing nightmare and instead a cylindrical design formed by rolled a sheet of photovoltaic over a drum much like a roll of toilet paper is more practical. This is reasonable considering that the long efforts to reduce costs of photovoltaics is almost entirely focused on simplifying and speeding up the manufacturing process to reduce cost and thin-foil rolling processes are key to the low priced thin-film cells that have captured a lot of market share lately. Building the ‘Roll’ (or the Ho-Ho if you prefer a foody name for it) separately from the core will certainly simply the manufacturing process and make for a reactor that’s easier to easier to service. Also only the core will need to hold vacuum which allows for the Rolls many thin foils to not be burdened with the negative pressure that would be associated with being the inner wall of the reaction chamber.

Also the walls of the core module would not be steel but rather could simply be made of Beryllium to allow the X-rays out as efficiently as possible, everyone’s said its not a limiting factor and the chamber is not under nearly as much strain as the electrode.

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