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Ivy Matt wrote: I’m not sure how you get from 1 to 10,000+ joules in a few months, but I guess I’ll just sit back and watch what happens next.

That’s because most of it relies on simply increasing some of the input parameters slightly. Meaning, 3 times the current means 200 more energy. Changing from boron to h means 3x more energy, varying up and down the pressure of the gas vs. pinch time means another 10x, and so on.

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Let’s see, going from 1MA to 3MA you’ve an expected yield of 200X bigger. Adjusting the pinch, 8 times more, achieving 600KV of ion themperature, 5 times more. So, up to 8000 more, at least 4000KJ of output per shot. 🙂 So, the biggest gain is by increasing the current!

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When you say “we”, does it mean that the team is getting back together?

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Thanks Derek, but I did the calculation provided by jamesr and the result is closer to the 8.7 MeV provided by wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aneutronic_fusion

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=mass+of+proton+++mass+of+Boron-11+-+mass+of+Beryllium-8+-++mass+of+Helium-4

The result is 8.07 MeV

The decay of beryllium 8 to helium – 4 gives ( http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=mass+of+Beryllium-8+-+mass+of+Helium-4+-+mass+of+Helium-4+)

0.09 MeV

The total is 8.16MeV

There are still 0.540MeV missing…

Maybe there’s a rounding error? Or are there still decay chains missing?

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Plasmoid :S typo. Sorry.

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jamesr wrote: The CNO cycle relies on sufficient confinement time for some of the intermediates products to undergo beta type decay, before fusing with another proton to move to the next link in the chain.

Yes, but why not just waiting? The point here is just using the minimum amount of external fuel. So, the input of usual hydrogen would just be the step needed.

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He uses 1MWyear=1KG of boron. The world consumption is 35TW, so it means 35 thousand tons of borons, 1/3 of what I estimated. That means 30% of the fusioned energy turned into useful energy, For a Q=1.6, it would mean an efficiency of 80% (1.3/1.8). Isn`t that a bit high?

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So, Bremsstrahlung are not significant for Hydrogen at 50KeV, right?

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Brian H wrote: Doesn’t happen. Read the Technical Papers; this is one of the innovations/breakthrough ideas of FF. Use of the High Magnetic Field Effect (HMFE) to advantage keeps the electrons in an energy level which prevents their interfering with the ions. This ability to slash ‘X-ray cooling’ (brehmsstrahlung) is key to the process.

This HMFE depends on the atomic number:

eqs (2) and (3)

http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0710/0710.3149.pdf

For the proton, or hydrogen, it is much higher, 14GG, for suppressing thermal losses. So, in the case of this experiment, with hydrogen, why wouldn’t the Bremsstrahlung be significant in making the plasmoid small?

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The above was meant to be a question without a quesion mark… :s

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vansig wrote: the ions are flowing along the surface of a toroid.

Not only on the surface, but when the fuel inside the plasmoid is very hot it ionizes itself to a great degree, so it is not just the surface. This is why I am thinking about the analogy with a toothpaste. When the bulk ions are compressed they are forced out of inner part of the torus. So, when the plasmoid starts to shrink, we have an overpopulations of ion and free hot electrons. They will follow the magnetic lines, but given that:
1.the outer part is already populated by the electrons of the filaments
2.the plasmoid is shriking
3.The field falls by 1/z^3 at the azial axis ( the toroid is a dipole)

The ions and those free electron ends up leaking from the plasmoid.

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vansig wrote:

I mean before the fusion happen, while the plasmoid is shrinking.

yes. unless the angular momentum is strong enough

What angular momentum? The plasmoid is rotating in the direction of the axis field, the ejection would happen in the center of rotation, so no angular momentum there.

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I mean before the fusion happen, while the plasmoid is shrinking.

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3. Wouldn’t the contents of the plasmoid be pushed out like a tooth paste?

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vansig wrote: right-hand rule would tend to give the field lines pinching in a closed ring, (rather than an open cylinder) and the ions tracing a toroid, trapped by that ring

Well, that’s what comes in mind if you think about that at first. But, I would like a demonstration.

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