[benf]

Johan, if by six hours you mean you’re near the San Francisco Bay Area (where I’m located), maybe we should save some gas and open a chapter up here as well….

[benf]

FYI here are photos taken previously of an insulator, and one that appears to be damaged.

[benf]

@Keith: Ceradyne’s Ceralloy 147 is described in their brochure as an excellent insulator, 10^16 ohm resistance in the sintered version and is touted as superior to alumina in various measures of durability. Also Wikipedia states that silicon nitride is used as an insulator in integrated circuits. Links to Ceradyne’s spec sheets and brochure PDF’s don’t work from these posts, but here’s a link to their brochure section.

[benf]

Would Silicon Nitride be a possibility? It’s used in the Space Shuttle rocket motors. Here’s product description and spec sheet from Ceradyne and Wikipedia info.

[benf]

Not a mechanical engineer but this material caught my eye….Corning offers up Macor which seems to have a lot of useful properties and is machinable. Here’s a link to a New Jersey distributor that shows pricing on the website that seems within reach, although you’d still have to fabricate. Can it be made from a tube or hollowed out rod and a plate joined together, or does it need to be cast as one piece? Maybe the rubber o-ring isn’t sufficient to absorbing the shock and the insulator “crashes” against the steel plate or anode during the shots? I’m picturing the image of the broken view port from an earlier newsletter. How was that issue addressed?

Edit: Adding this spec sheet from another supplier comparing the material to aluminum silicate. If this material is too expensive maybe look for used pyrex or zerodur telescope mirror blanks? Probably hard to fabricate….

[benf]

We have the MediaWiki that’s just being set up. It would be a good place to post this information.

[benf]

I fear that TEPCO has a problem with transparency and the issue is that their business culture holds sway over the scientific and engineering communities who would otherwise be able to provide oversight…As with BP’s oil spill, the company is slow to respond and turns a blind eye to the magnitude of the problem, which also exists because of political stonewalling. The Fukushima meltdown should still be in the news and the repercussions need to be seriously addressed, it would be wrong to “sweep it under the rug”. Japan had already had it’s share of environmental disasters.

[benf]

True, it would be expensive. But maybe in the 1800’s they’d have said the same thing about a network of flying machines able to cross the country in six hours or less, with each “aero port” having restaurants and flush toilets for everyone…

[benf]

Here’s a link to the webcast of the Dec. 5 event. It was an interesting meeting of the minds. I’ll be waiting to see if the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership has traction that could help fusion research:

http://coe.berkeley.edu/static/AMP/

This was the agenda and people involved:

http://ampsf.org/about/

[benf]

Welcome back Jolly Roger….I liked Eric’s reference to an author’s idea (source?) of developing an underground magnetic levitating train system that could travel at supersonic speeds, constructed and powered by Focus Fusion generators, of course!

[benf]

Being less bad than coal makes you good? I’m not so sure….fission nuclear accidents, Wikipedia….An awful lot of millions are spent repairing what were “just” minor accidents (were there only 3 major ones?). Weren’t we supposed to have learned from the first accidents, back in the fifties or eighties? Is a body count the sole criterion? The thing about a DPF, as I understand it is that if something goes wrong it just turns off. No meltdown potential. Kind of like the way a lightbulb goes out. There would be no release of radioactive materials that takes years, decades or centuries to abate. Why not try our damnedest to get it to work? Yet it’s hard to come by the funds to pursue Focus Fusion research, the funds have all gone to clean ups, repairs and new designs for fission…and gigantic tokamaks…great. Is that Greenland I see rising over there Physorg.com?

[benf]

I agree with Zapkitty. I think planting trees makes more sense, which would help restore habitats and ecosystems….physorg.com

[benf]

It’s a compelling result that’s a product of good investigation. From figuring out that the original spark plug erosion was causing erratic behavior, to analyzing the double beam output draining the plasmoid (see the Feb. 2011 report) and subsequently zeroing in on the alignment issue. All this has led to enhancement of FF-1 repeatability, which should hopefully make future shots easier to analyze when introducing higher current, gas pressure, etc.

[benf]

Thanks Mike,
It is an interesting initiative. I didn’t know about the meetings, I’ll try to make the Bay Area event.

[benf]

Congratulations to DennisP, he’s won! Climate Co Lab announces 2011 winners

[Author]

Posts